Topic of Foreign Money in U.S. Races Hits Hustings

NYTimes.com: "“Just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign corporations,” Mr. Obama said. “So groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections.”
But a closer examination shows that there is little evidence that what the chamber does in collecting overseas dues is improper or even unusual, according to both liberal and conservative election-law lawyers and campaign finance documents."

Related articles

• You: Liberal groups say foreign funds aid Republicans (latimes.com)
• Questions on source of chamber's ads surface (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Mitt Romney’s October Kick-off

Image via WikipediaMitt Romney Central: Campaigns in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Idaho

Competitiveness in national elections does not trickle down to state level

Ballotnews: "77.3% of incumbents faced no primary challenger. Of the 1,133 incumbents who did face a primary, only 95 were defeated by the challenger. Thus, 91.6% of all incumbents who faced a primary opponent won their primary. But, if all 4,985 incumbents who elected to run for re-election are counted, only 1.9% of incumbents did not make it to the general election."

Why the Fox News suit against Robin Carnahan's campaign is bogus

Slate Magazine: "The lawsuit highlights the troubling tendency of copyright owners to make overreaching claims about the scope of their legal rights. The Carnahan case is also an example of something even more pernicious: the potential for copyright law to become a means of political censorship."

Weekly Wrap-Up -- State of Elections

From State of Elections.com:

Fox News wants to make sure their viewers know they don’t endorse Democrats. The network has sued Democratic Senate candidate Robin Carnahan for copyright violations based on a campaign ad.

Dreaming of a Third Party? Libertarians in Georgia are dreaming of a permanent place on the ballot. Their gubernatorial candidate, John Monds, is polling at 9% while the Republican candidate, Nathan Deal, continues to have financial problems. If Monds can capture over 20% of the vote, the Libertarians will be considered a “political party” under state election law, allowing them to hold primary elections and be guaranteed ballot access in future races.

Texting to support a candidate may soon be more than simply asking your friends to vote for someone. Cell phone carriers are seeking approval from the Federal Election Commission to allow customers to make campaign donations via text message, similar to the recent campaigns for donations to help victims in Haiti and Pakistan.

Politically motivated non-profit organizations have been cropping up in order to campaign for parties or candidates without having to reveal where their donor money is coming from. Groups such as Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies are listed as 501(c)(4) non-profit corporations, but spend millions on political advertisements while taking advantage of an exemption that allows non-profits to keep their donor list to themselves.

GOP's big money men return

POLITICO.com: After reducing their check writing during the latter days of George W. Bush’s presidency and John McCain’s 2008 failed campaign to succeed him, wealthy conservatives have been re-energized by the 2010 midterm election, giving to GOP candidates and campaign committees as well as the independent groups that back Republicans in unprecedented amounts.