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Federal judge blocks voter-approved Maine law capping super PAC contributions
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On Tuesday, a federal district judge blocked a Maine law [[link removed]] recently passed by ballot initiative that would strictly limit the amount of money anyone could contribute to a super PAC — a political committee that by definition may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money.
The fight over the law’s implementation centers on whether putting a cap on a single donation to super PACs is, as U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf wrote in her ruling, “a constitutional means of preventing quid pro quo corruption or whether it runs afoul of the Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence.”
And Wolf’s ruling is clear: Maine’s law is “unconstitutional on its face,” arguing that “it risks chilling contributors’ rights to speak and associate” in violation of the First Amendment.
But the legal fight is hardly over, Dave Levinthal reports .
Proponents of the Maine super PAC law are vowing to appeal to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals and perhaps beyond, to the Supreme Court. Their goal: to kill super PACs. (Disclosure: OpenSecrets, while not a party to the lawsuit, provided data and other information via a report and deposition for the case analysis.)
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Trump administration profile: Mike Huckabee
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Mike Huckabee, a two-time presidential candidate and former Republican governor of Arkansas, was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Israel [[link removed]] in April, putting him at the center of the conflict between Israel and Hamas as well as Israel’s conflict with Iran, reports Natalie Jonas .
Huckabee’s political career began in 1993, when he won a special election to become lieutenant governor of Arkansas. He became governor in 1996, when the incumbent resigned, and was later elected to full, four-year terms in 1998 and 2002.
In 2008, Huckabee ran an unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination while hosting the program “Huckabee” on Fox News. He ran another campaign in 2016 but dropped out of the primary competition after winning just 1.8 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucus.
Huckabee, who has opposed Palestinian autonomy and self-determination [[link removed]] throughout his long political career, said President Donald Trump’s administration is not pursuing the two-state solution [[link removed]] dictated by the Oslo Accords as a way to resolve conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. As an evangelical Christian and Christian Zionist, his support of Israel is rooted in the belief [[link removed]] that Palestinians leaving the land will incite a biblical rapture, leading to the return of Christ.
With Israel and the United States recently taking military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, Huckabee has been in the middle of a tense situation.
Follow the money
* In 2018, Huckabee was paid $50,000 by Joseph Allahm [[link removed]] , a registered foreign agent representing the government of Qatar. In return, Huckabee took to social media [[link removed]] to praise the Middle East country. As part of his payment, he was flown to Doha [[link removed]] , Qatar, along with Mort Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America, among others, as part of a continued Qatari effort to reinforce its support of Israel despite decades of past financial and political support [[link removed]] for Hamas.
* Prior to becoming ambassador, Huckabee owned Blue Diamond Travel, which operates international tours to Israel and a handful of other countries, accompanying tourists on trips. He pledged to divest his interest [[link removed]] in the company and stop participating after being confirmed to the post. He reported less than $201 in income from the travel company in 2024.
* During his campaign for the presidency in 2016, the Huckabee-aligned super PAC called Pursuing America’s Greatness raised $5 million [[link removed]] to support his presidential bid. Most of the money — $3 million [[link removed]] — came from Ronald Cameron, the Arkansas-based CEO of poultry company Mountaire Corp. The super PAC also received $1 million from members of the Herschend family, which owns a large theme park company that includes Dollywood. And Saul Fox, a private equity executive, donated $150,000 through a corporation named Children of Israel.
* Huck PAC [[link removed]] , Huckabee’s leadership political action committee, “committed to electing conservative, pro-life Republicans nationwide,” raised $1.1 million [[link removed]] for the 2016 campaign. In 2024, it donated $1.4 million [[link removed]] to 226 Republican candidates.
* Huckabee made the bulk of his 2024 earnings [[link removed]] from various media platforms: $466,000 for his Substack newsletter [[link removed]] , $353,000 for hosting television programs for Founders Intent, $1.2 million for hosting television programs for Trinity Broadcast Network, $149,000 in studio feeds from Fox News, $1.9 million from his radio company Ozarks Mountain Media Group. He also earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees. He filed paperwork [[link removed]] with the Office of Government ethics detailing his separation from these enterprises.
* As ambassador, Huckabee will earn a salary in accordance with the foreign service pay schedule and is eligible for additional allowances and benefits [[link removed]] .
Why It Matters [[link removed]]
Additional profiles
* Lori Chavez-DeRemer [[link removed]] , secretary of labor
* J.D. Vance [[link removed]] , vice president
* Chuck Schumer [[link removed]] , Senate minority leader
* John Ratcliffe [[link removed]] , director of the CIA
* Doug Collins [[link removed]] , secretary of veterans affairs
* Hakeem Jeffries [[link removed]] , House minority leader
* Lee Zeldin [[link removed]] , EPA administrator
* Howard Lutnick [[link removed]] , secretary of commerce
* Mike Waltz [[link removed]] , national security advisor
* Marco Rubio [[link removed]] , secretary of state
* Sean Duffy [[link removed]] , secretary of transportation
* Susie Wiles [[link removed]] , White House chief of staff
* Tulsi Gabbard [[link removed]] , director national intelligence
* Kash Patel [[link removed]] , director of the FBI
* Kristi Noem [[link removed]] , secretary of homeland security
* Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [[link removed]] , secretary of health and human services
* Linda McMahon [[link removed]] , secretary of education
* Elise Stefanik [[link removed]] , ambassador to the United Nations
* Doug Burgum [[link removed]] , secretary of the interior
* Pete Hegseth [[link removed]] , secretary of defense
* Pam Bondi [[link removed]] , attorney general
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Online Ad Spending in 2024 Election Totaled at Least $1.9 Billion
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Political advertisers spent at least $1.9 billion on online ads for the 2024 election on the four largest digital platforms (Meta, Google, Snap, and X) that publish analyzable spending data, according to a new analysis by the Brennan Center, OpenSecrets, and Wesleyan Media Project.
Our new examination of political ad content in the general election period expands on our summer 2024 [[link removed]] and postelection [[link removed]] analyses of online ad spending, identifying significant differences in the strategies used by spenders. Parties and outside groups were much more likely than candidates to use negative ads, and their ads focused largely on persuading voters. Candidates’ advertising goals, by contrast, tended to be evenly split between persuading voters and fundraising.
There were partisan differences, too: While both sides of the aisle spent on efforts to persuade voters, spending in favor of Democrats was more likely to have fundraising as a goal, and spending in favor of Republicans was more likely to include get-out-the-vote efforts. Additionally, pro-Democratic spenders put a somewhat greater portion of ad money toward contrasting their party’s candidates with their opponents compared with pro-Republican spenders, who spent more on simply promoting their own candidates.
Read the Full Report [[link removed]]
What else we're reading
Crypto industry amasses colossal war chest for elections [[link removed]] (Politico)
Second-Quarter Hauls Show Republicans Keeping Up Their Fundraising Numbers [[link removed]] (NOTUS)
Dark money turns Alabama attorney general race into a million-dollar mystery [[link removed]] (AL.com)
Mayor Adams Loses Another Round in Bid to Receive Public Matching Funds [[link removed]] (The New York Times)
OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
Vested interests. Influence muscle. At RFK Jr.’s HHS, it’s not pharma. It’s wellness. [[link removed]] (CNN)
Its lobbying influence is markedly smaller than the lobbying reach of pharmaceutical companies, according to OpenSecrets, a research organization that tracks money in U.S. politics. The nutritional and dietary supplements industry spent about $3.7 million on lobbying in 2024, for example, compared with the $387 million the pharmaceutical industry spent the same year.
Jane Fonda Warns Climate and Democracy Are Both in Crisis [[link removed]] (Bloomberg)
When protesting wasn’t bringing about change fast enough, Fonda got more directly involved in politics. In 2022, she launched the Jane Fonda Climate Political Action Committee, or PAC, to support political candidates and other groups. The PAC raised nearly $2 million in the 2022 election cycle and more than $5.7 million for 2024, according to data compiled by nonprofit OpenSecrets.
As Georgia politicians rush to raise money for 2026, some bulk up their campaign accounts with personal loans [[link removed]] (WABE/PBS/NPR)
Brendan Glavin, director of insights at OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks money in politics, says Georgia campaign finance law allows unlimited personal loans or contributions. “Limiting the amount an individual can spend on themselves, you’re going to run into constitutional issues,” Glavin says.
Natural Gas Gets A Political Jolt—But Pipeline Gaps Risk The Payoff [[link removed]] (Forbes)
But Trump’s rollback of clean energy incentives comes amid strong backing from the fossil fuel industry, which contributed more than $74 million to his 2024 campaign, according to OpenSecrets. The new law phases out wind and solar tax credits for projects starting after June 2026 and rescinds billions in climate-related investments authorized under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Princeton University’s REPEAT Project estimates that the rollback alone could reduce future clean power capacity by over 70,000 megawatts—roughly enough to power 50 million homes.
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The OpenSecrets merch store is here!
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We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the OpenSecrets Merch Store [[link removed]] ! Now, you can support our mission while looking good doing it. Every purchase helps us provide comprehensive and reliable data, analysis and tools for policymakers, storytellers and citizens.
Our collection — initially featuring a hoodie, crewneck, t-shirt and hat — is designed to spread awareness and make a difference. Whether you're treating yourself or finding the perfect gift, every item you buy helps fuel our cause. And every item in our store was manufactured by a certified ethical and “sweat-free” company.
Join us in wearing your support — transparency has never been more comfortable!
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