Judge throws out campaign finance lawsuit between Republican rivals in Georgia governor’s race
From ABC News: A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who filed a suit in his capacity as a candidate for Governor, against Lt. Governor Burt Jones, who is also running for Governor. Carr sought to block Jones’ use of his leadership committee, a fundraising committee only available to the Governor, Lt. Governor, and some members of legislative leadership, which allows them to raise unlimited campaign funds. Carr is limited to a normal campaign committee and is subject to an $8,400/donor limit. In dismissing the suit, the judge agreed with Carr’s argument that the leadership committee gives Jones a fundraising advantage, but concluded it was legal under Georgia law.
A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers
From WIRED: A new report from WIRED details how Chorus, a nonprofit funded by the liberal dark money group The Sixteen Thirty Fund, is providing financial backing to Democratic content creators online, sometimes up to $8,000 per month. The contracts from Chorus restrict creators from sharing the details of their payments and sets limits on what political content they can produce. Read more about the activities of The Sixteen Thirty Fund in American Promise’s The Problem of Foreign Money In Politics report, including how they receive funding from nonprofits backed by Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire.
The inflation of influence: meeting the need for businesses to invest more in politics
From Reuters Commentary: This commentary piece, published in Reuters and written by political law and government affairs lawyers, explores the rising costs for companies that feel obligated to invest heavily into lobbying and campaign spending. The article goes through the many different avenues companies have for political spending in order to influence lawmakers and secure favorable legal environments.
Mamdani Widens Fund-Raising Lead, as Adams Is Denied Matching Funds
From The New York Times: Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in New York City’s mayoral race, received $1.9 million in public matching funds from the city’s Campaign Finance Board, bringing his cash-on-hand to $6.3 million, well ahead of the other 3 major candidates in the race. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, received $1.4 million, while Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent candidate, received $482,000. Eric Adams, the current mayor who is also running independently, was once again denied matching funds due to concerns by the Board that he may have engaged in illegal activity. Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges last year, though the charges were dropped by prosecutors following direction from the Trump administration.
