A series of articles looking at the historic decision's impact

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January 23rd, 2020
This week in money-in-politics

Wall Street donor influence shows unprecedented growth 10 years after Citizens United


The 2010 landmark ruling in Citizens United amplified the influence of deep-pocketed Wall Street stockbrokers and private investors in federal politics and rewarded them with greater political purchasing power.

The securities and investment industry gave more to outside spending groups than any other industry in each of the last four full election cycles. As big money continues to take advantage of current campaign finance regulations, the financial industry remains at the top as the 2020 election gets underway.

Since 2012, the industry has contributed at least $80 million to outside groups in every cycle, more than half of that coming from a small group of individuals. Before the Supreme Court decision, the industry never spent more than $17.8 million in any election cycle.

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** Candidates and outside groups often coordinate, most recently in Michigan
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John James, Republican challenger to Sen. Gary Peters, paid a political consultant to help manage his campaign in May. Just a few months later, the same consultant was running a “dark money” group attacking Peters’ record. The ties between James and the dark money group are an instance of problematic — if not illegal — coordination between political campaigns and outside groups.
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** Billionaires spent big following Citizens United — expect them to spend more in 2020
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Billionaires spent unprecedented amounts of money influencing elections over the last decade — the top three donors and their spouses gave $717 million to outside groups such as super PACs — and they’re expected to shell out even more in 2020. Two of those billionaires are vying for the Democratic nomination for president.
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** OpenSecrets speaks at United Against Corruption rally
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On Monday, OpenSecrets outreach manager Brendan Quinn spoke at the United Against Corruption rally outside the U.S. Capitol building. Joining a number of powerful speakers involved in the democracy reform movement and representing a range of views, he reflected on the impact of Citizens United and OpenSecrets research that shows massive increases in spending in the decade that followed.
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More money, less transparency:
A decade under Citizens United

In Case You Missed It — The Center for Responsive Politics has published a new report, More money, less transparency: A decade under Citizens United, a comprehensive look at the lasting impacts of this profoundly important case. Leveraging over 35 years of experience, this report uses OpenSecrets’ original research, which finds, among other conclusions:
* Individual millionaires and billionaires, not corporations, emerged as the dominant political giving force. Just 10 donors accounted for more than $1 billion over the decade.
* Independent groups, which have spent $4.5 billion since the ruling, routinely overshadow political parties and even candidates in crucial races.
* With corporations, nonprofits and the like able to spend on elections, voters are often being influenced by secretive groups that don’t share information about their funding sources.

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OpenSecrets in the News

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

* ** 10 years after landmark Citizens United Supreme Court decision, record cash flooding US elections (ABC News) ([link removed])
Super PACs have spent more than $2.9 billion in federal elections between 2010 and 2018, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

* ** Gillibrand campaigning for women in 2020 (The Albany Times-Union) ([link removed])
After suspending her presidential campaign last year, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has pivoted to focus her energy on promoting women candidates up and down the ballot.

* ** How a supreme court case paved the way for 2020's money-soaked election (The Guardian) ([link removed])
Political spending by outside groups had grown to $4.5bn over a decade, up from $750m in the previous two decades, and eclipsing candidates’ own spending in hundreds of races.

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** Marijuana Business Daily ([link removed])
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