Senate Republicans again Tuesday blocked Democratic legislation that would require greater transparency into who is behind much of the secretive, often negative campaign advertising filling the airwaves this election season.
CNN's Drew Griffin reports on FEC investigations into Rep. Vern Buchanan violating campaign finance laws.
Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan, a self-made Florida millionaire, is only in his third term in Congress, but he already is in charge of fundraising for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, and he sits on the powerful House Ways and Means committee.
Money in presidential and congressional campaigns has already reached record heights so far this election year, thanks in part to recent rulings by the Supreme Court and other federal judges that loosened long-standing restrictions on outside corporate spending.
Could the national conventions become more than just political rallies? That's what one political expert predicts with the Federal Elections Commission ruling that will allow people to text donations to the campaign of their choice.
After President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, a group organizing a fundraiser on his behalf suddenly had to find a bigger venue. The event, featuring the pop singer Pink, is one of two LGBT-organized fundraisers Obama is expected to attend on the West Coast on Wednesday.
The jury in the trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards spent more than 50 hours deliberating six counts stemming from allegations that he accepted illegal campaign contributions, falsified documents and conspired to receive and conceal the contributions.
El ex senador demócrata dice que él es responsable por los errores cometidos.
Erin Burnett tackles the latest in the John Edwards Trial. Flirting by a juror, wardrobe mishap and a judge's warning.
Explain it to me: CNN's Tom Foreman explains how presidential hopefuls spend money.
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens had harsh words for his former conservative colleagues Wednesday, saying they have inconsistently applied the law two years after a sweeping ruling dealing with campaign finance reform.
The jury in the trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is deliberating six counts stemming from allegations that he accepted illegal campaign contributions, falsified documents and conspired to receive and conceal the contributions. The maximum sentence if convicted on all six counts would be 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine.
Jurors were set to begin deliberations Friday in the corruption trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
While John Edwards' lawyers have not yet made a decision whether to put the former presidential candidate on the stand in his corruption trial, Edwards' oldest daughter, Cate, is expected to testify this week, possibly as early as Tuesday.
Political analyst Gloria Borger talks to Wolf Blitzer about John Edwards' parallel life, revealed in his criminal trial.
With primary season over, the race for president -- and the race for cash -- is about to heat up.
A bungled break-in, Deep Throat, a defiant President Richard Nixon declaring, "I am not a crook."
Let there be no doubt: The campaign finance floodgates are officially open.
Stephen Colbert's super PAC is working with some serious cash.
Is Stephen Colbert a comedian, political candidate or professor of campaign finance law?
CNN's Jessica Yellin profiles two Karl Rove-founded outside spending groups focused on unseating President Obama.
Are American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS comparable to labor unions and MoveOn.org? Democratic activists scoff at the question. But Steven Law, Crossroads' CEO, says yes.
The following is a primer on campaign finance terms relevant to the Supreme Court's 2010 "Citizens United" ruling that loosened spending restrictions in federal elections, which will have an impact this election year.
As Americans read about the flood of private money that is going into the current presidential campaign, most can't help but shake their heads in disgust about how our democracy functions.
This election season, the term "Super PAC" has escaped from the obscure world of campaign finance lawyers to emerge on the front pages of major newspapers and political websites. Super PACs are political organizations that can take unlimited sums from individuals, corporations and labor unions to spend in support of, or opposition to, federal candidates. To do so legally, a Super PAC must avoid certain forms of coordination with candidates.
Remember the little box you can check off on your federal tax return to donate three dollars to pay for presidential campaigns? House Republicans voted that in this era of e-mailing or texting campaign contributions, it's time to get rid of the federal program, and remove taxpayer money from presidential elections and political conventions.
A federal grand jury in Phoenix has indicted the Fiesta Bowl's former chief operating officer on accusations of causing and then covering up illegal political contributions, lying to federal authorities and filing false tax returns.
In recent weeks, there have been two important stories developing about the 2012 campaign. On the surface, they have nothing to do directly with Herman Cain, Mitt Romney or Michele Bachmann.
A prominent California Democrat campaign fund manager charged with defrauding a state legislator of $677,181 is in settlement negotiations with federal prosecutors, a law enforcement source said Tuesday.
The Federal Election Commission says the disgraced politician must pay the treasury
The Federal Election Commission votes 6-0 for John Edwards to pay back $2.3M from his 2008 campaign.
Former Presidential candidate John Edwards will have to pay back over 2 million dollars in federal matching funds given to his 2008 campaign for president, the Federal Election Commission ruled on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has tossed out an Arizona law that provides extra taxpayer-funded support for office seekers who have been outspent by privately funded opponents or by independent political groups.
The former presidential candidate pleads not guilty to charges in alleged mistress cover-up
The former presidential candidate is accused of using political donations to cover up his affair and love child
Former Sen. John Edwards is indicted on felony charges for allegedly giving campaign funds to his mistress.
Former Democratic vice presidential nominee and two-time presidential candidate John Edwards pleaded not guilty Friday to conspiracy and campaign law violations, acknowledging that he had "done wrong," but denying that he broke the law.
College football's Bowl Championship Series says it will fine the Fiesta Bowl $1 million and impose other sanctions after the bowl reported that it had, among other things, reimbursed employees for political contributions they made allegedly at bowl leaders' encouragement.
Then Sen. Barack Obama announced his White House bid in February, 2007 before a crowd in chilly Springfield, Illinois.
With a short video on BarackObama.com, the sitting president of the United States has launched his bid for re-election.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority appeared to hold the cards Monday in a key campaign finance reform case involving an Arizona election law that would provide matching funds to underfunded candidates. The justices could continue a recent legal trend and strike down another effort at government restrictions on election spending.
A liberal reform group has asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations of conflict of interest by Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
With the mid-term elections looming, the Supreme Court on Monday turned away from the opportunity to further loosen campaign finance restrictions, this time over disclosure of donors.
President Obama has recently blasted the influx of money from undisclosed donors flowing into the midterm campaigns. He repeated a claim, which major media outlets have not been able to substantiate, that foreign funds may have been used in the United States.
The Senate will vote Thursday on whether to take up a hot-button campaign finance reform bill.
Senate Republicans narrowly block a Democrat-backed campaign finance disclosure bill. CNN's Rick Sanchez reports.
Senate Republicans narrowly blocked Democratic campaign finance disclosure legislation in the Senate Tuesday after raising concerns the bill would curb freedom of speech and tilt campaign spending in favor of the Democrats.
President Barack Obama in 2009 nominated Elena Kagan to be the nation's first female solicitor general.
When President Obama threw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals' season opener on Monday, he kicked off not only a new baseball season but also a new round of fundraisers at Nationals Park.
The U.S. Supreme Court's stunning campaign-finance ruling last month -- finding that the "government may not suppress political speech on the basis of the speaker's corporate identity" -- triggered passionate reactions from critics, extending even to an unprecedented, point-counterpoint exchange during the State of the Union address between President Barack Obama and one of the five justices who signed it. In this article we'll aim to depressurize the debate and explain what all the fuss is about.
CNN's Jeffrey Toobin explains what impact the Supreme Court ruling could have on midterm elections.
For everyone licking their wounds after Thursday's landmark 5-4 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, worried that the evil corporations are now poised to ruin American democracy once and for all, in the bogus name of free speech, here's a word of potential hope: I used to be one of you, too, and today I'm happy as a clam. Maybe you can be too, eventually. Here's why:
Campaign 2010 is in full swing: Massachusetts elected its new U.S. senator this week, and the first congressional primaries are just days away.
Conan O'Brien The flame-haired comedian has signed a deal with NBC to walk away from "The Tonight Show." The Wall Street Journal reported that the pact -- some $45 million for O'Brien and his staff -- contains a "non-disparagement clause" for both O'Brien and the network, which means they can't say nasty things about each other in public.
The Supreme Court has given big business, unions and nonprofits more power to spend freely in federal elections, a major turnaround that threatens a century of government efforts to regulate the power of corporations to bankroll American politics.
The Supreme Court heard new arguments Wednesday in a dramatic case that started with a movie attacking Hillary Clinton -- but that could have far-reaching implications for U.S. elections.
President Theodore Roosevelt is generally credited with launching a nationwide push for campaign spending reform. Embarrassed by disclosure of secret donations by insurance firms to his 1904 election, he supported congressional efforts to ban corporate dollars in national races.
When Democrats gather in Denver, Colorado, and Republicans in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, for their political conventions this summer, they'll be taking along with them a big gift from federal taxpayers.
Critics ask why taxpayers are footing the bill for big political conventions. CNN's Drew Griffin reports.
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama and the major political parties supporting their presidential bids have amassed campaign war chests totaling almost $200 million, according to campaign finance documents filed this week with the Federal Election Commission.
The Supreme Court has struck down a provision of a federal campaign finance law that allowed opponents of wealthy candidates to exceed strict campaign spending limits.
Sen. McCain targets Sen. Obama's decision on public financing during a visit to the flood zone in Iowa Thursday.
Sen. Barack Obama's decision to reject roughly $85 million in public financing -- as well as the strict spending limits that would accompany those funds -- did not come as a surprise to most political observers.
A Utah disposal company seeking federal permission to import more than 20,000 tons of nuclear waste from Italy has raised its campaign contributions to lawmakers
CNN's Carl Azuz discusses the finer points of campaign finance and how much one can donate.
Use this information to teach your students about campaign finance.
Students will learn about campaign finance and campaign finance reform.
Sen. Barack Obama raised more than $40 million from more than 442,000 donors in March, his presidential campaign announced Thursday.
Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila and 12 associates face criminal charges related to the financing of three of Acevedo's campaigns, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.
Sen. Barack Obama raised $55 million in February, his campaign reported Thursday, setting a record for political fundraising in one month.
Sen. John McCain's campaign said the Republican presidential hopeful has the "constitutional right" to opt out of the public election funds program.
Dean vs. McCain
updated: Tue Feb 26 2008 16:16:00
DNC Chairman Howard Dean accuses GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of skirting election laws.
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean accused Republican presidential front-runner John McCain of trying to skirt campaign finance laws Sunday by trying to opt out of public financing for his primary campaign.
One of the most competitive presidential elections in years is also on track to become the most expensive election ever, according to OpenSecrets.org, the web site of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Lawyers for Sen. Larry Craig asked a Minnesota appeals court Tuesday to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from his June arrest in a public bathroom sex sting, citing a "grave procedural flaw."
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton raised a record "over $100 million" for her Democratic presidential bid, her campaign reported.
With 4 days to the Iowa caucus, Suzanne Malveaux highlights the closing arguments for democratic presidential hopefuls.
Is that poor restaurant worker who gave $1,000 to the campaign a real donor, or an illegal proxy? That's the question every campaign is trying to figure out how to answer
A new campaign finance report filed with the Senate shows Sen. Larry Craig spent about $23,000 in campaign money on lawyers in his ethics investigation.
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down Vermont's strict limits on state campaign spending limits, finding the laws unfairly violate the free speech rights of candidates to raise money and publicize their views.
Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay said Tuesday he's dropping his bid for re-election, while insisting he's never acted improperly.
CNNMoney: Make 150,000% Today!updated: Fri Jan 27 2006 15:41:00
Yes, the Jack Abramoff scandal is a cancer eating away at the heart of Washington, fresh proof of the Beltway's culture of corruption, etc., etc. But for business, this tawdry episode is a reminder of something that gets too little notice: A company's return on lobbying and campaign contributions--let's call it return on political investment, or ROPI--is astronomically higher than any real investment it can make. These remarkable returns, not any inherent venality, explain why the pseudo-reforms likely to come in Abramoff's wake will do nothing to stop the meltdowns from recurring.
Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts has donated to the political campaigns of several Republican candidates, including one senator who will vote on Roberts' appointment to the high court.
CNNMoney: Google for Kerry?updated: Mon Feb 14 2005 07:41:00
Google Inc. employees took out their wallets and showed overwhelming support for the Democratic Party last year, according to a report Monday in USA Today.
In addition to choosing a U.S. president, the 2004 election is a referendum on the success of the McCain-Feingold reforms, otherwise known as the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Act of 2002.
You look at your federal income tax return and you ponder that box marked "Presidential Election Campaign."
John Kerry has hired an Internet-savvy Democrat to run his presidential campaign's online communications, a move that raises new questions about the link between his campaign and the independent groups that run TV ads on his behalf.
The fourth floor of the building directly across the street from the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington looks abandoned. No receptionist greets visitors. The hallway lights aren't turned on. Most ...
To hear the hype about the new campaign-finance law, you'd think that advocates for small business would be miserable. With big money banished from politics, interest groups will have to turn elsew...
Any Democrat running for President needs to be Terry McAuliffe's best friend. Vice President Al Gore flew through a snowstorm last year to attend McAuliffe's 40th birthday party. On the grip-'n'-gr...
Ordinary Americans are prohibited from climbing Mount Rushmore, where the faces of four great Presidents are carved in granite. But this September, just before the Senate began debating campaign fi...
Jerry Kohlberg is accustomed to being a pioneer and a pariah. As an investment banker at Bear Stearns in the 1960s, he invented the leveraged buyout and with it became one of the richest men in Ame...
EVEN BEFORE Miami model Donna Rice -- and how she spent the night of May 1 -- made headlines, Gary Hart's presidential campaign was in trouble. Though he led the Democratic polls, Hart lagged behin...
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