Campaign Finance

Good Job! New York State Lawmakers Only Violated Campaign Finance Law 103,805 Times in Two Years

Seems like you can't walk down an Albany sidewalk without stumbling over a lawmaker charged with graft these days, but the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) put out a report yesterday that shows how widely the system is failing. According to the report, New York state lawmakers have ... More >>

What's Wire Fraud Again? Everything You Wanted to Know About the John Liu Aide Scandal

On Thursday, two of John Liu's former aides were found guilty in an illegal scheme to raise funds for Liu's mayoral race. Want the simplest breakdown? Read on. So, who are these people? Xing Wu (Oliver) Pan is a real-estate developer and was a campaign fundraiser for mayoral hopeful John Liu, and ... More >>

State Lawmakers Propose A Ban On Using Campaign Money For Legal Fees

Let's say you donate to a campaign. You really like said candidate and believe he or she will do a great job representing you and your interests in government. Eventually, your preferred politician gets elected and you're confident that your donation was well-spent. And then, a year later, he or s ... More >>

Bloomberg, Guy Who Spent $108 Million Last Election, Bashes Looser Finance Campaign Laws

Any politician that shells out $108 million to win a mayoral race should be precluded from warning about the dangers of unlimited campaign spending. Of course that didn't stop Mayor Michael Bloomberg from blasting City Council's proposed reform bill on campaign finance law -- a bill that Bloomberg ... More >>

Ultimate Fighting Championship Courting Andrew Cuomo Hard ($105K Hard); See Gov's Top Donors Right Here

The New York Public Integrity Research Group has crunched the numbers for Governor Andrew Cuomo's top political donors, and it turns out the human punching bags at Ultimate Fighting Championship are amongst the top contributors to the gov's re-election campaign.And why does that matter? Well, the UF ... More >>

Religion and Campaign Finance Reform Mix: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf To Talk Elections

Remember the "Ground Zero mosque" that wasn't just a mosque but actually a community center but still had people enraged back in 2010 because they thought it would be a victory monument to terrorism? We hadn't really thought about it much recently, either -- until today, when we heard that Imam Fei ... More >>

Mo' Money, No Problems: Kirsten Gillibrand's Loaded And Killin' It In the Polls

There's bad news for Congressman Bob Turner, Manhattan attorney Wendy Long, and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign coffers are filling up quickly -- and her poll numbers are the best they've ever been.Turner, Long, and Maragos are squaring off to see whic ... More >>

John Liu "Stunned" At Arrest of His Campaign Treasurer on Fraud Charges

The campaign treasurer for City Comptroller John Liu was arrested and charged today with fraud for her role in a scheme that used fake donors to pump money into his relection campaign, federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced today. Jia Hou, also known as Jenny, is also charged with trying to dera ... More >>

Obama Will Support Super PAC, Despite Earlier Opposition

​In a dramatic reversal of his previous stance, President Obama announced late on Monday that his re-election campaign would begin accepting fundraising money from Priorities USA Action, a super PAC. Obama had previously stated that, because he opposes the Citizens United ruling that makes unc ... More >>

John Liu, City Comptroller, Hires Former AG To Review Those Mysterious Campaign Donors

​For such a normally loquacious man, City Comptroller John Liu was comparatively mum in today's press release announcing he has ordered a "comprehensive independent review" of his campaign fundraising. Liu, known for flooding the email boxes of City Hall reporters, offered just 9 words about ... More >>

Joe Bruno, Other Pols Use Campaign Funds to Pay Legal Expenses

Joe BrunoBy Adam Schwartzman Five prominent New York politicians have dipped into their campaign funds to pay for nearly $3 million in legal expenses associated with investigations of their possible misconduct, a Voice examination of campaign disclosure reports has revealed. While it's unclear if t ... More >>

Biden Being Biden: Vice President Owes Big Money For Campaign Violations

​It must be tough to operate in the shadow of the ever-cool Obama. Vice President Joe Biden is cut from a different cloth -- and cut sloppily -- where gaffes are to be expected and have become mostly endearing. "If there were no gaffes, there'd be no Joe," said Lindsey Graham. No big fuckin' d ... More >>

Campaign Finance Board Doles Out Matching Funds, Updates on Scandal (Updated)

The city's non-profit Campaign Finance Board has said it will dole out just over half a million dollars in matching funds to 42 candidates tomorrow morning -- the second-to-last financial package the candidates will receive before the September 15 primary election. Set to take in some of the large ... More >>

Espada Explains $60K in Unpaid Fines with Godfather Quote

GOP Star Marty Golden Doles Out Big Bucks to his Family Catering Hall

Living the Political Life Fantastic

Surf, turf, and doughnuts: A state senator dines out on his campaign war chest

Elevator Diplomacy

Yankee Stadium gets a walkway, a politician gets a big donation, and you get a fat bill

Campaign Finance Board Fines Barron, Palma and Four Others

Feds Charge Hsu in 'Massive Ponzi Scheme'

'American Blackout'

Sticky Fingers

Abramoff scandal snares one Republican after another

Abramoff Lobbying Scandal: Big Timber Falls Hard

Hastert on tainted money: Okay, okay, I'll give it back

In D.C., It's All Relative

Congress members, staff, and lobbyists—one big happy family

Friendly Fencing From Speaker Seekers

Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Rides Again

Hillary Haters Go Wild Over Campaign-Finance Acquittal

Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Rides Again

Hillary haters go wild over campaign finance case

The Big Money

No longer an unknown, the mayor still holds a billion-dollar advantage

Give to Get

Curbing the players

Al's Secret Admirers

F.E.C. Filings reveal that Sharpton has friends with friends in high places

Campaign and Caviar

Bloomberg's wealthy-and-above-suspicion argument? Too rich.

His Dear Friends

Tricks of the trade among the big givers and big takers of political campaign cash

Funding Fathers

First Amendment Treats for the Rich

The Media Blew This One Big-Time

Bill Kill

How to get the public interested in campaign finance reform? Think Pam Grier.

Tough Watchdog

Lefþer the Latest to Feel Campaign Board’s Bite

Barrio Match: Reed vs. Luciano

An Unsweating Contender Touches a Nerve

An Embarrassment of Riches

Business Big Shots Invest Heavily in Democrat McCall’s Political Future

Don't Say Kaddish For Larry Kadish

To This Top GOP Donor, Soft Money Is the Name of the Game

Quick & Dirty

The Hidden Treasures Behind Lazio's Stock Deal

Nation

Sports

The Rogue Candidate

The Embarrassing Midlife Crisis of Steve Forbes, Rich White Guy

Pat's Tattered Army

The Buchanan Campaign Faces Flak Over Money and Managers

Gelt trip

Give until it hurts

'Dollar Bill' Bucks the Odds

The Great Liberal Hope from Wall Street

Un-Covering Livingston

Finally, a Progressive Party

Working families party forges a left-liberal coalition

House of Hypocrites

While congress is set to sit in judgment of President Clinton, many of its members have their own indiscretions to deal with. Lucky for them Ken Starr isn't investigating them and the notoriously lax ethics committee is.

FBI Probes Dole '96: Part II