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August 27, 2020
This week in money-in-politics

New dataset shows history of GOP donations from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy


After just 10 weeks on the job as Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, Louis DeJoy is at the center of a swirling controversy following the slowdown of mail services ahead of the 2020 election.

DeJoy’s long history as a Republican fundraiser, which includes millions he’s personally donated to GOP candidates, has left many questioning whether the slow-downs are politically motivated.

Since the mid-1990s, DeJoy and his wife, Aldona Wos, have contributed over $3 million to federal Republican candidates. They donated two-thirds of that total since the start of the 2016 cycle, giving $1.2 million to a joint fundraising committee that distributed that money to President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee.
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** House race to replace Kennedy is most expensive in Massachusetts

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Seven Democratic primary candidates are vying to run for Rep. Joe Kennedy III’s (D-Mass.) House seat in November in one of the most competitive primaries in the state. With the popular representative challenging incumbent Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the House race to replace him is the most expensive in the state. The field includes all imaginable shades of progressive and traditional Democrats, and a former Republican. As the field has narrowed from the initial 12 candidates, a handful are within striking distance of a victory
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** Senate primary pits Kennedy dynasty against longtime progressive
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Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) has the family name on the line in the Bay State’s Senate primary against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), as the race tightens and slips toward Markey’s favor. Kennedy, the grandson of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and great-grandnephew of President John F. Kennedy, was first elected to Congress in 2012. He entered the race for Senate after early polling showed he had a significant 14 point lead in a hypothetical matchup against Markey.
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** Industry groups, progressives battle in heated Massachusetts House primary

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One of the most powerful members of Congress is fighting to keep his seat amid a well-funded primary effort from progressives, and deep-pocketed industry groups are coming to his defense. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) will face off with Holyoke, Mass., Mayor Alex Morse in a Sept. 1 primary election that has drawn national attention. Morse is the latest progressive challenger to threaten a longtime incumbent in a cycle where progressives pulled off several victories.
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** You can follow the money on all of next week's primaries in Massachusetts here. ([link removed])
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Uber and Lyft boost lobbying power as they threaten to pull out of California


A divisive California law that could upend the business models of apps that rely on gig workers led to a standoff between an appeals court and the rideshare companies Uber and Lyft, which almost resulted in the companies pulling out of their home state.

On Aug. 10, a judge ruled that the companies had to reclassify their contractors as employees, putting the company on the line for untold millions of payments in benefits. Thursday’s appeals court decision delaying the companies’ deadline to do so bought them some time.

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TRANSPARENCY WIN: Last week, a federal appeals court ** upheld a ([link removed])
lower court ruling on federal campaign finance disclosure rules citing OpenSecrets’ data on ** spending by outside groups ([link removed])
, shining a light on donors behind “** dark money ([link removed])
” groups that spend on independent expenditures such as ads expressly supporting or opposing a political candidate’s election. But groups already have ways to skirt the FEC’s rules by exploiting loopholes that enable them to ** steer millions of dollars ([link removed])
from secret donors into elections through political contributions and ** issue ads ([link removed])
.

OpenSecrets in the News

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

* ** Trump Hotel Is RNC Annex, Abuzz With Republican Players (The Wall Street Journal) ([link removed])
Each day this week during the mostly virtual Republican National Convention, the Trump International Hotel in D.C. (which the President and his family continue to profit from) has been full of in-person activity.

* ** Political parties go from Aspen events to taking their fundraising shows online (The Aspen Times) ([link removed])
With an ongoing pandemic, politicians aren't making as many stops in wealthy Aspen as they usually do. But with a competitive Colorado Senate race and the Presidential race far from decided, the area is still getting (remote) attention from politicians.

* ** This is how Donald Trump leveraged his business empire and political career to make millions of dollars (The Independent) ([link removed])
President Donald Trump's personal businesses have made $23 million from political groups — including his own campaign — since 2015

** The Associated Press ([link removed])

** CNN ([link removed])

** Bloomberg ([link removed])

** The Cincinnati Enquirer ([link removed])

** Las Vegas Review-Journal ([link removed])

** Olean Times Herald ([link removed])

** WMUR ([link removed])

** Sludge ([link removed])

** The Nonprofit Times ([link removed])

** FactCheck.org ([link removed])



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** Chair-nave.jpg ([link removed])
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