October 9, 2015 Rep. Kevin McCarthy‘s shocking announcement that he would drop his bid for House speaker could put Republicans at a disadvantage in one of the most vital aspects of the next election: fundraising. Absent the saving grace of a certain House Ways and Means chairman, that is. When McCarthy backed out, that left two relatively inexperienced fundraisers… Continue Reading »
October 7, 2015 Two women arrested Tuesday morning and charged in federal court with laundering money from Chinese businessmen each tried to give a California GOP lawmaker the maximum contributions allowed by law last year, Federal Election Commission records show. Jason Gagnon, communications director for Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), whose campaign and leadership PAC received the checks, said… Continue Reading »
October 6, 2015 For interest groups that sought to influence Washington’s thinking on the massive trade package set to bind together 40 percent of the world’s economy, Monday’s announcement of an agreement on the terms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership was a long time coming. Over eight years of negotiations, 487 clients paid lobbyists to meet with or contact lawmakers and administration officials… Continue Reading »
Just as water flows downhill, money in politics flows to where the power is. And the Center for Responsive Politics is there to help you follow the contours and learn about these connections.