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February 13th, 2020
This week in money-in-politics

‘Dark money’ groups steering millions to super PACs in 2020 elections


More than $65 million from groups bankrolled by secret donors poured into super PACs spending on U.S. elections during 2019 alone, according to OpenSecrets’ analysis of federal campaign finance filings. This comes on the heels of the 2018 election cycle when super PACs and hybrid PACs siphoned more than $176 million from ‘dark money’ groups, then pumped it into the midterms.

Dark money groups reported spending nearly $1 billion on U.S. elections in the decade following Citizens United but that direct spending reported to the FEC doesn’t include most spending on issue ads praising or criticizing candidates. It leaves voters in the dark about who is behind millions of dollars in spending by super PACs funded by dark money groups.

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** Who will pick up Andrew Yang’s donors?
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Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang suspended his presidential campaign this week after poor results in Iowa and New Hampshire. Now the focus turns to his loyal group of supporters, many of whom have said they would not back another 2020 Democrat as the nominee. Just 23 percent of Yang’s campaign donors gave to another 2020 Democrat, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets.
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** Democrats prepare to spend big to take control of 2021 redistricting
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Democrats and Republicans are raising millions, preparing to battle for state legislative majorities before a crucial, once-in-a-decade redistricting year in 2021. In the 2020 election cycle, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and Republican State Leadership Committee have raised $16.7 and $17.3 million, respectively.
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** Buttigieg rises in New Hampshire polls amid support from hybrid PAC
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In the increasingly competitive Democratic primaries, Pete Buttigieg is being accused by his opponents of using weak campaign finance laws to coordinate with outside groups to boost his presence ahead of the New Hampshire primaries. While several Democrats earlier distanced themselves from outside spending, many have since softened their stances as the primaries neared.
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Biden dominates with Nevada donors ahead of caucus


Democratic presidential candidates who received the greatest amount of donations from Iowa and New Hampshire residents also finished at the top of the polls in the two early primaries.

If those results are any indication of what can be expected from the upcoming Nevada caucuses, then this time, it’s former Vice President Joe Biden who could finally make a breakthrough in the state. Biden has raised almost $842,000 from Nevada donors, topping his Democratic primary contenders by a large margin.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) comes in second, raising around $528,000 in the state. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has received over $292,000 in contributions.

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OpenSecrets in the News

See where we've been cited by media outlets around the nation this week.

* ** Here’s where S&P 500 CEOs are placing their bets on 2020 campaigns (CNBC) ([link removed])
CEOs from the top businesses in the country combined to give just more than $2 million in the fourth quarter.

* ** How dark money is shaping the message in Maine’s massive US Senate race (Bangor Daily News) ([link removed])
More than $10 million has already been spent on ads in the Maine race, more than any other Senate race in the nation. Much of that is coming from groups both supporting and opposing incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that do not disclose their donors.

* ** Pete Buttigieg lures even closer look from Wall Street donors following strong Iowa caucuses performance (The Washington Post) ([link removed])
Of the remaining candidates in the race, Buttigieg and Biden have been in a head-to-head fight for a fundraising edge from the financial services industry. Buttigieg was leading Biden through September by this metric.

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