[[link removed]] October 18, 2024
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Pro-Trump dark money network tied to Elon Musk behind fake pro-Harris campaign scheme
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An initiative called Progress 2028 that purports to be Kamala Harris’ liberal counter to the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is actually run by a dark money network supporting former President Donald Trump.
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OpenSecrets and RepresentUs spotlight record-breaking pace of election spending by big donors
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RepresentUs [[link removed]] , the nation’s largest grassroots anti-corruption group, and OpenSecrets have launched Unpacking Super PACs , a new effort to raise awareness of who is funding the 2024 election.
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Chart of the Week
Dive deeper into the data behind the headlines
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What to Know
Political advertisers in the United States spent more than $619 million on the two largest digital ad platforms between the beginning of 2023 and the end of August of this year, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis jointly conducted by the Brennan Center, OpenSecrets, and the Wesleyan Media Project.
By the Numbers
In the 2024 election cycle through the end of August, advertisers who spent at least $5,000 on Google and Meta bought $619 million in political ads, with at least $248 million focused on the presidential race.
Of spenders on Meta and Google known to advertise in support of a party, spending in favor of Democrats was more than three times the amount of spending for Republicans. Some Republican-aligned spending may have migrated to other platforms not included in this analysis, in part due to lack of public data.
Almost half the total, $281 million, came from spenders that may hide some or all of their donors.
Dig Deeper
The origins of much of the money funding online political advertising are not publicly known. As with other forms of electioneering, spenders can use “dark money” nonprofit organizations to keep their donors hidden. But there is even less transparency online than in other media due to a lack of regulation.
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OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
Could the Lone Fed Dissenter Be in Line for a Powerful Role if Trump Wins? [[link removed]] ( The New York Times )
Michelle Bowman, a Trump-appointed Fed official recently cited by JD Vance, has been gaining prominence. She and her family have a history of donating to Republicans, based on OpenSecrets data. Her husband, Wesley Bowman, has continued to do so while she has been at the Fed — though almost entirely to Kansas politicians.
Cards Against Humanity offers to pay nonvoters to go to the polls [[link removed]] ( CBS News )
Cards Against Humanity is also offering a $7.99 card game expansion pack with an election theme, the proceeds of which will go to the company's super PAC, dubbed "Cards Against Humanity PAC." The bid to entice voters came days after America PAC — a pro-Trump super PAC financed by tech billionaire Elon Musk — urged people to sign a petition backing the First and Second Amendments and offered supporters $47 for each registered voter they were able to get to sign in swing states. If re-elected, Trump would be the nation's 47th president. America PAC has contributed more than $96 billion to 2024 federal elections so far this year, according to nonprofit political finance tracker OpenSecrets.
Meet the billionaires funneling millions into the 2024 race [[link removed]] ( Axios )
A handful of powerful megadonors have played an outsized role in shaping the 2024 presidential race through mammoth donations toward their favored candidates. The amount of money being injected into 2024 races means this election cycle is poised to become the most expensive federal election ever, according to a new analysis released by the research group OpenSecrets last week. President Biden's replacement on the Democratic ticket by Vice President Kamala Harris spurred "an enormous boost in fundraising" among Democrats, per OpenSecrets.
Ted Cruz, Colin Allred clash on abortion, border, transgender rights in US Senate debate [[link removed]] (ABC News)
Elon Musk loaded $75 million into his pro-Trump super PAC in 3 months [[link removed]] (The Hill)
2024 election projected to be most expensive ever, $15.9 billion in spending [[link removed]] (Straight Arrow News)
Elon Musk speaking at pro-Trump super PAC's town halls in Pennsylvania ahead of voter registration deadline [[link removed]] (CBS News)
New York’s 19th Congressional District race tops nation in spending [[link removed]] (WBNG-TV)
Elon Musk Has Poured $75 Million Into His Pro-Trump Super PAC [[link removed]] (IB Times)
Facing Scrutiny Over Global Outage, Cybersecurity Firm CrowdStrike On Track for Record Year of Federal Lobbying Spending [[link removed]] (InDepthNH)
Over $15.9 billion to be spent on 2024 election, the second most ever [[link removed]] (KTRH)
Candidate promises to PAC donations drop as campaign finance reform wanes as a core issue [[link removed]] (Boston Globe)
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