April 26, 2024

TikTok's last dance? The lobbying showdown over the app's future in the U.S. continues

After an expensive lobbying blitz, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law a sweeping foreign aid package that includes a provision barring TikTok from operating in the U.S. if the video-sharing app’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, doesn't sell its stake in the platform within a year. 

Senate Democrats dominate in first quarter fundraising

In every Senate battleground state, the Democratic candidate is significantly outraising their top Republican opponent, and in every race where the Republican primary has not yet happened, the Democratic candidate is outraising all of the Republican candidates combined.

Ohio's Senate race ranks among top most expensive contests of 2024

As of the end of the first quarter, Ohio’s Senate race is proving to be one of the country’s most expensive elections as Republicans push to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown and clear a path to a Senate majority. 

Chart of the Week
Dive deeper into the data behind the headlines

Democrats face steep electoral odds as they attempt to maintain their slim majority in the U.S. Senate, but the most recent fundraising totals filed by candidates with the Federal Election Commission paint a much rosier picture for Democrats than polling would suggest. 

The presumptive Democratic candidates have raised $181 million between them and the Republicans — some of who still are running in primaries — have raised $63 million, or 34% of what the Democrats have raised. 

Many of the Republican candidates are largely self-financing their campaigns and when that money is removed from their fundraising totals, the Republican candidates have raised just 22% of what the Democrats have raised. Self-financing can provide a candidate of means with a life buoy when the fundraising environment is difficult, but self-financed candidates rarely win their general election contests. 

See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:

A Chinese Firm Is America’s Favorite Drone Maker. Except in Washington. (The New York Times)

Congress is weighing legislation that could kill much of DJI’s commercial business in the United States. DJI spent $1.6 million on lobbying last year, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks money in politics. DJI’s lobbying efforts have drawn on grass-roots support from users who fear that a ban of the company’s drones would be disruptive and expensive, especially since U.S. suppliers have not proven they can compete on cost or quality.

Summer Lee wins Pennsylvania primary in victory for progressives (The Guardian)

Significant victory for ‘Squad’ member comes amid concerns of pro-Israel funding targeting pro-ceasefire candidates. In February, the Allegheny county Democratic party formally endorsed Lee for the first time, after the group backed her rival in the 2022 primary. According to OpenSecrets, the Super Pac United Democracy Project, which is affiliated with Aipac, spent a total of $3.3m against Lee in 2022. She ultimately defeated her opponent by less than 1,000 votes, or 0.9 points.

Biden fund gets big donation from son of Republican megadonor Larry Ellison (CNBC)

David Ellison, the son of Republican megadonor Larry Ellison, gave $929,600 to back the reelection efforts of President Joe Biden, putting him among the top recent donors to the incumbent Democrat. Larry Ellison, who historically has been a major Republican donor, has not made a single federal political donation so far in 2024, records show. Ellison donated more than $31 million to GOP candidates during the 2022 congressional midterms, according to data from OpenSecrets.

Texas school districts violated a law intended to add transparency to local elections

(Texas Tribune)

4 House primaries to watch in Pennsylvania (ABC News)

The GOP's got a growing beef with lab-made meat (Business Insider)

A super PAC raised money to support Virginia's GOP candidates. They didn't see any of it. (USA Today)

Scoop: Teamsters make another move toward GOP (Axios)

Evangelicals are fed up with the House GOP’s Israel aid holdouts (The Washington Post)

Democratic tech group aims to shake up Republican statehouses in 2024 (NBC News)

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