Federal appeals court says Maine’s foreign electioneering law is likely unconstitutional
From Maine Public: The First Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a voter-approved law, which was supported by 86% of Maine voters in 2023, that would have prohibited spending by foreign governments and corporations in the state’s ballot elections. The judges blocked the law in response to a lawsuit from power companies CMP, Hydro Quebec, and Versant Power, on the grounds that it would violate the First Amendment rights of foreign-owned companies that would be affected by the law. Here is our statement on the First Circuit’s decision.
Federal judge blocks Maine’s voter-approved law capping donations to super PACs
From Maine Public: A federal district court judge in Maine blocked another voter-approved law that capped the amount that individuals or organizations could contribute to super PACs. Supporters of the law argued that it was aimed at addressing the corruptive potential that arises when a person makes a donation to a super PAC in exchange for a political benefit. The federal judge blocked the law from taking effect because it would violate the Supreme Court’s campaign finance precedents. Here is our statement on the district court’s decision.
Campaign finance reports show early state of governor’s race for Hobbs, Robson, Biggs
From Axios: Although the primary is more than a year away, candidates for Arizona governor have already started raising large amounts of money. Republican Karrin Taylor Robson has raised more than $2.8 million, of which $2.2 million is self-funded. Incumbent Governor Katie Hobbs raised more than $1.3 million in the last quarter, bringing her total cash-on-hand to $4.7 million. Super PACs have also begun getting involved in the race, with Republican Andy Biggs benefitting from nearly half a million dollars in outside spending.
$10,000 stolen from Speaker Mike Johnson’s campaign committee
From OpenSecrets: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson had $10,000 stolen from his campaign committee, after someone obtained and fraudulently cashed one of the committee’s checks, according to the campaign’s report to the FEC. The theft comes as many other political committees have fallen victim to fraud and theft, as the massive amounts of money handled by these committees attract thieves. OpenSecrets analysis has found that committees have collectively lost millions of dollars to theft in the past decade.
Adams Eclipses Mamdani in Recent Fund-Raising, as Cuomo Lags Behind
From The New York Times: NYC Mayor Eric Adams is enjoying strong fundraising support in the four-way mayoral election, despite running as an independent. He raised more than $1.5 million in the last fundraising period, including several donations from Florida on the day of a Young Republican-aligned fundraiser in the state. Former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo raised over $600,000 in the same period, though he paused his fundraising efforts immediately after his defeat in the Democratic primary until he decided to run as an independent. Both Cuomo and Adams have benefitted from support from wealthy donors concerned about Zohran Mamdani, the left-leaning Democratic nominee for mayor.
