[Political Activity Law]

PHANTOM RETURNS. POL. “A phantom super PAC that reported dropping millions of dollars on the battle for the Senate said in a report it was returning money to its alleged donors following an investigation by POLITICO.”

BIDEN VICTORY LAUNCHED. WP. “Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will ask donors to give as much as $620,600 to support his White House bid and down-ballot candidates, dramatically expanding his fundraising capability to compete with President Trump’s big-money machine.”

LIBERAL EMBRACE. HILL. “Progressives are embracing super PACs with newfound vigor as they look to put their political influence and organizing tactics to use in the aftermath of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign.”

FEC NOMINEE APPROVED. SEN.

MAY 2020 ELECTION LAW NEWS. WILEY.

MO: ENDORSEMENT ISSUE. FB. “Missouri Democrat Nicole Galloway touted an endorsement from a liberal dark money group just days after claiming that she ‘hate[s] dark money with a passion.'”

MT: PAC SNARE. RUP. “Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, Jeff Mangan, issued a “Finding of Sufficient Facts to Support a Campaign Finance Violation” ruling on May 15th, in favor of Sidney Representative Joel Krautter in his campaign finance complaint against Doctors for a Healthy Montana.”

OR: MAYOR FINED. PM. “The City of Portland’s elections office has stuck Mayor Ted Wheeler’s campaign with a $500 fine for bending the city’s campaign finance rules. According to City Elections Officer Deborah Scroggin, Wheeler’s campaign was fined for printing a list of top donors on a recent campaign mailer in too small of a font.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

COMPLIANCE NOTES. LEX. “Here, we are expanding upon our eAlerts (where we provide substantive analysis on key issues), to deliver a periodic digest of the headlines, statutory and regulatory changes, and court cases involving campaign finance, lobbying compliance, election law, and government ethics issues at the federal, state, and local level.”

SCAM FIGHT. ATL. “A new bill sponsored by an unlikely pair of legislators would crack down on some of the most abusive political-fundraising operations.”

PAC ATTACK. POL. “A group of Democratic operatives are launching a super PAC to defeat Sen. Lindsey Graham as liberals try to expand the Senate map to include South Carolina, officials involved with the efforttold POLITICO.”

NAME CHANGE. HILL. “Former aides to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) changed the name of a recently formed super PAC originally named for the former presidential candidate’s campaign slogan, ‘A future to believe in,’ after Sanders complained about it.”

ID: CANDIDATES COMPLAIN. PR. “Five local legislative candidates have filed a complaint with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office alleging a group that is supporting their opponents has broken campaign finance rules.”

MD: INVESTIGATION SOUGHT. FN. “Maryland law currently allows potential candidates to establish exploratory committees for the purpose of raising and spending funds on surveys, polls and mailings to determine if they’re a viable candidate.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

AD ALLEGATION. MNT. “The ad raises broader questions about what constitutes a political ad, who can legally place one, and whether such an ad must — or should — clearly state who paid for it.”

BIG BUY. POL. “House Democrats’ main super PAC announced a second round of fall ad buys on Monday morning, bringing their total TV spending for the cycle to over $69 million.”

MD: STATE SETTLES. BSUN. “The Maryland state government is poised to pay $400000 to several newspapers to settle a lawsuit” discussed here involving online advertising requirements.

OR: FOCUS ON REFORM. KGW. “All three candidates largely agree on issues pertaining to ensuring fair and open elections. They all support establishing same-day voter registration. McLeod Skinner said what separates her from her challengers is her commitment to campaign finance reform.”

TN: REGISTRY SUED. OCN. “Attorneys at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press on Wednesday, April 29 filed a lawsuit against Tennessee Registry of Election Finance for violating the state’s Open Meetings Act when it held a secret vote by email.”

WI: PAC TALES. WPR. “A new super PAC reported millions of dollars in spending to the government earlier this month, but the money hasn’t made it to any vendors. We learn about the puzzling case and what it can tell us about our campaign finance system.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.