Commentary

What We Know About the Money Behind Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Fight
Douglas Keith
Before senators ask Judge Brett Kavanaugh a single question in his confirmation hearings this week, the debate over his nomination to the Supreme Court will have already been playing out for weeks in TV ads.

September 4, 2018
Money in Politics
When It Comes to the Laws of Democracy, the Supreme Court’s Conservative Majority Often Abandons Its Own Core Principles. Will Brett Kavanaugh Do the Same?
Daniel I. Weiner, Joanna Zdanys
At Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, senators should cut through all the gauzy rhetoric about “originalism” and “judicial restraint” and press him on what he actually believes. It’s their only chance.

August 31, 2018
Money in Politics
Election Spending
How John McCain Nearly Made the GOP the Party of Campaign Finance Reform
Walter Shapiro
At his best, the late senator was a latter-day Teddy Roosevelt and a singular figure in the drive to eliminate big money from politics

August 25, 2018
Money in Politics
Election Spending
Just What Was Lara Trump Up To?
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
Was her call to a fired White House aide an innocent effort to help, a campaign finance violation, or obstruction of justice?

August 22, 2018
Money in Politics
Michael Cohen Deal Highlights Glaring Holes in Campaign Finance System
Lawrence Norden
It’s easy to see why Trump’s lawyer thought he could get away with violating campaign finance laws, since enforcement is so weak

August 22, 2018
Money in Politics
Maine Clean Election Candidates to Receive Long-Awaited Funds
Joanna Zdanys
After months of gridlock and uncertainty, publicly financed candidates will receive the funds they need to run their campaigns

August 20, 2018
Money in Politics
Election Spending
Public Financing
Outside Spending in Senate Races: Danger or Dud?
Neilan S. Chaturvedi
A recent research paper looking at election expenditure data from 2010 to 2014 finds that the effect on election outcomes of campaign expenditures is five times as much as that of independent expenditures. This has implications for independent expenditure groups’ current and future strategies to mitigate the disproportionately large influence of outside groups on electoral politics.

August 16, 2018
Money in Politics
Election Spending
Political Voice in the New American Gilded Age
Kay Lehman Schlozman, Henry E. Brady, Sidney Verba
The co-authors of a recently published book, Unequal and Unrepresented: Political Inequality and the People’s Voice in the New Gilded Age, discuss how increased electoral spending exacerbates political inequalities. The book — drawing from three decades of research on politically active individuals and organizations — offers evidence of a concentrated advantage in electoral politics conferred upon the wealthy and considers how these disparities endanger American democracy.

August 10, 2018
Money in Politics
Election Spending
States’ Campaign Spending Proposals Could Help Level the Playing Field for Working Parents
Shyamala Ramakrishna
A May FEC decision allowing federal candidates to spend campaign funds on childcare could make running for office significantly more accessible for parents. But its impact will be limited — so candidates and lawmakers are proposing reforms at the state and local levels.

August 9, 2018
Money in Politics
Disclosure
Encouraging Progress in Prying Open Trump’s Finances
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
A judge has defined the Constitution’s anti-corruption clauses for the first time. And it’s not good news for the president.

August 6, 2018
Disclosure