US elections fueled by rise in 'dark money' contributions: Report
Ten dark money groups accounted for more than $610M in election spending
An increasing number of anonymous donors are contributing to U.S. elections, in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that upended governance of campaign contributions.
According to a new report from OpenSecrets.org, so-called “dark money” groups, or those who accept money from anonymous donors, reported nearly $1 billion in direct spending on U.S. elections during the past ten years. And accordign to the report, outside groups with the ability to spend unlimited sums to support the candidates of their choice have begun spending more than the candidates themselves.
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“Nonprofit groups funded by secret donors disclosed less than $1 million in spending to the FEC during the first half of the two-year election cycle prior to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United in January 2010,” the publication noted. “That spending increased by more than one-hundredfold in a matter of months, topping $138 million before Election Day.”
A decade ago, the Supreme Court decided in its Citizens United ruling that political spending is a form of free speech protected by the Constitution. As a result, corporations, unions and nonprofits were determined to be able to influence elections through independent expenditures and activities like ad spending, though not through directly contributing to campaigns.
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Since then, there have been other court decisions that have helped increase the influence of big money groups and anonymous spending.
Dark money groups refer specifically to those who do not disclose their donors. In the ten years since the Citizen United ruling, just 10 groups accounted for more than $610 million in U.S. election spending.
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Among the top “dark money” spending groups, with undisclosed donors, are the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Crossroads GPS, Americans for Prosperity, the National Rifle Association, Majority Forward, the American Future Fund, the American Action Network and the American Association of Realtors.