#2022 congressional elections

[jennyboom21]

#mary peltola #2022 special elections #Alaska special elections #democratic congressional seat #ranked choice voting #blue wave #sarah palin #indigenous women #native Alaskan #indigenous elected officials

[enny43]

Let's talk about Colorado's 3rd congressional district.

Lauren Boebert and Adam Frisch are locked in a ridiculously close election in a race a lot of people are watching very closely. Seeing Boebert unseated would be a huge win and may turn out to be crucially important in a midterm the Dems (shockingly) still have a chance to take the House in. It has been razer thin for several days, and over a long lapse in reporting, Fisch lead by less than 70 votes with ~90% of the vote in.

As of right now, Boebert holds a lead of 1,136 votes with about 98% of the votes counted. It might take until next Thursday for the remaining votes to be counted and a winner declared, as there are an estimated 5,898 votes still to be counted. This does not include overseas and military votes or ballots that need to be cured, but we'll get to that.

First lets address a question many people have:

Why is this taking so long?

The short answer is, it's not. The main reason it seems to be taking longer than most races is directly related to how close the race actually is. See when news media "call" races, they are actually just projecting the winner based on the possibilities in remaining math. If it becomes reasonably impossible for a certain candidate to win, they call the race. The projected loser may even concede at this time. But that is not an official result, nor does the counting stop at that point. Just like in CO-3, counting continues following the guidelines set by the state to tabulate an official result. This race only hasn't been called yet because with the remaining votes, either candidate can still win. Colorado also has a gold-standard level election system.. so we can expect counting to take a little longer due to such a high percentage of ballots there being mail-in (Colorado sends ballots to all voters by default)

As far as the timeline goes, this is not abnormal.

So what are Adam Frisch's odds of winning and how can we calculate them? This is a more complicated answer, but I'll do my best to keep it simple.

As I said, there are an estimated 5,898 votes remaining to be counted. The bulk of them (2,365) come from Pueblo County which favors Frisch by 3.3%, and another large share (700 votes) comes from Pitkin County which favors Frisch by 29.2%

If all math followed those numbers, this would be a pickup of 565 votes for Adam Frisch. Boebert also has an advantage in Mesa County of 7.8% where there are 726 estimated votes remaining. This would give her a pickup of ~112 votes. In the remaining counties where there are less than 300 votes remaining to be counted, we can estimate that the votes would mostly cancel out, with a slight edge for Frisch.

All the math with these smaller counties included points to Frisch coming up short by about 770 votes (this would still fall in the range of an automatic recount).. but this does not account for all the outstanding ballots.

There are still an indeterminate number of absentee ballots from overseas and military votes to count, in addition to provisional ballots that may have been cast on Election Day (Colorado has same-day voter registration, so these are uncommon).. and there is also a curing period for ballots that may have had a mistake and need to be verified (such as someone forgetting to sign the envelope when mailing their ballot in)

We can expect the military and overseas ballots to favor Frisch. Not only does the military slightly lean Dem as it is, Southern Colorado is home to a lot of active duty Air Force which has an even more liberal tilt than the military broadly. As for the cured ballots, it's hard to say.. but my intuition tells me Democratic voters would be more energized and likely to fix their ballots by the deadline (there's also a lot of outreach being done to help people through this process, something I imagine the Boebert camp will be less capable of doing)

Are there any guarantees the remaining votes will follow the trend exactly? Of course not. They may favor one candidate or the other to a greater degree than the averages represent. Without knowing how many outstanding ballots there are from the military, overseas, and cured counts.. it is fundamentally impossible to know how this race will turn out. What I can say is not to expect many updates between now and next week. This one is going to come down to the wire, and whatever candidate ends up winning will do so by a very tight margin. No matter the result, I expect a recount will be triggered leading us to even more waiting to find out the official results.

My suggestion to everyone is to be patient and let this process play out. I have no reason to be worried about the results of this race, which is already much closer than anyone expected it would be going into Election Day. After all, CO-3 is an R+6 district. The race being this close is something no one expected.

Here's a chart with all of the data I discussed:

#politics #democracy #lauren boebert #adam frisch #colorado #congressional elections #2022 midterms #house of representatives #election #vote #counting

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Near the end of the Jan. 6 Committee’s final meeting before the midterm elections, the panel took an historic, unanimous vote on Thursday to subpoena former President Donald Trump, demanding he testify about his failed plot to stay in power after losing the 2020 election.

The subpoena marks the first time a congressional panel has directly targeted the nation’s ex-Commander-in-Chief, and it underscores how high the stakes are in the ongoing investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“He led an effort to upend American democracy that directly resulted in the violence of January 6th. He tried to take away the voice of American people. He is the one person at the center of the story of what happened… we want to hear from him,” said Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

“This is a question of accountability to the American people. He is required to answer for his actions, he is required to answer for those police officers who put their lives and bodies on the line,” he added, noting that this was as “serious and extraordinary action.”

Neither Trump’s office nor his top lawyers on these matters responded to a request for comment on Thursday.

Should Trump ignore the subpoena, he faces the same threat of a criminal prosecution for “contempt of Congress” that led to a federal conviction against another MAGA ally: former senior White House adviser Stephen Bannon.

However, consequences for witnesses refusing to testify have been applied unequally. For example, even though Congress held former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt, the Department of Justice appears uninterested in actually pursuing charges over the House vote. Trump ignoring a subpoena could result in charges, but it also could result in nothing.

For months, the Committee has publicly presented evidence that Trump engaged in frivolous lawsuits to overturn the election, intimidated state officials to erase Joe Biden’s lead in the 2020 election, ignored evidence that he lost fairly, and knew his loyal mob in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 was armed and seething when he sent them to march on the Capitol building where they attacked Congress. But throughout the panel’s nine public hearings, one voice has been conspicuously silent: Trump himself.

The closest the panel has come was when it played outtakes from Trump’s video addresses during and after the attack on the Capitol, revealing a President who simply refused to concede and still wanted to rile up his enraged followers.

The decision to subpoena the former President—who will likely ignore it—is an aggressive tactic that could go two very different ways. If the president refuses to show up and the full Congress refers the matter to the Department of Justice, prosecutors could refuse to take up the case and embolden resistant witnesses. Otherwise, Trump faces a prosecution similar to the year-long case that will end next week when a federal judge sentences Bannon.

Thursday’s subpoena came from one of the few Republicans who is furthest removed from the party’s loyalty to Trump’s MAGA movement: Co-Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY).

“We must seek the testimony—under oath—of January 6th’s central player,” she said. “At some point the Department of Justice may well unearth facts these witnesses are concealing. But our duty today is to our country, to our children, and to our Constitution. We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set these events in motion.”

#us politics #news #donald trump #house select committee #capitol riot #capitol riot investigation #2022 #rep. liz cheney #rep. bennie thompson #mark meadows #steve bannon #subpoenas #Congressional subpoena #contempt of congress #2020 election #the daily beast

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

#us politics #2022 #2022 midterms #2022 elections #colorado #Colorado district 3 #gop #republicans #conservatives #congressional voting record #voting rights act #chips act #violence against women act #american rescue plan #rep. lauren boebert

[factcheckdotorg]

#2022 election #NY19 #josh riley #clf #congressional leadership fund

[apartmentnumber4]

I don’t like the Dems either and they’re not gonna do anything to protect abortion if gay marriage but you need to understand if the republicans get a majority in Congress they will put an all out ban on these things. They’ve said they want to already, and unlike the Dems they will kill the filibuster.

#roe v wade #dems #republicans #democrats #2022 congressional election

[ireton]

6 Feb 2024 - Eli Crane Straight-Up

Elijah James Crane (born January 3, 1980) is an American politician and businessman elected as the U.S. representative from Arizona's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Crane served in the United States Navy SEALs and co-founded Bottle Breacher, a company that manufactures bottle openers made of 50-caliber shell casings. In the 2022 House elections, Crane defeated incumbent Democrat Tom O'Halleran.

#Eli Crane #Jan 6 #Trump #Like Minded People

[kp777]

#congressional map #2022 elections #fivethirtyeight

[mariacallous]

A former F.B.I. informant accused of making false bribery claims about President Biden and his son Hunter — which were widely publicized by Republicans — claimed to have been fed information by Russian intelligence, according to a court filing on Tuesday.

In the memo, prosecutors portrayed the former informant, Alexander Smirnov, 43, as a serial liar incapable of telling the truth about even the most basic details of his own life. But Mr. Smirnov told federal investigators that “officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story” about Hunter Biden.

Those disclosures, including Mr. Smirnov’s unverifiable claim that he met with Russian intelligence officials as recently as three months ago, made him a flight risk and endangered national security, Justice Department officials said. Mr. Smirnov had been held in custody in Las Vegas, where he has lived since 2022, since his arrest last week.

He was released from custody on Tuesday on a personal recognizance bond after a detention hearing, said his lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld.

Prosecutors did not specify which story Russian intelligence is said to have been fed to Mr. Smirnov, an Israeli citizen. But they suggested they could not believe anything he said. And they had many tales to choose from.

The memo describes Mr. Smirnov as a human hall of mirrors: He fed the F.B.I. bogus information about the Bidens and misled prosecutors about his wealth, estimated at $6 million, while telling them he worked in the security business, even though the government could find no proof that was true.

“The misinformation he is spreading is not confined” to his false claims about the Bidens, wrote prosecutors working for David C. Weiss, the special counsel investigating Hunter Biden on tax and gun charges.

“He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November,” they added.

That appeared to refer to Mr. Smirnov’s claim, made in late 2023 to the F.B.I., that he had spoken to the head of a Russian intelligence unit who said he had intercepted phone calls made by guests at a hotel overseas. Those included “several calls placed by prominent U.S. persons the Russian government may use as ‘kompromat’ in the 2024 election,” according to prosecutors.

Mr. Smirnov also told his F.B.I. handler that he was involved in meetings to help resolve the war in Ukraine, and that he had knowledge of assassination squads operating in “a third-party country.”

Last week, Mr. Weiss charged Mr. Smirnov with fabricating claims that President Biden and his son each sought $5 million bribes from a Ukrainian energy giant, Burisma, demanding the money to protect the company from an investigation by the country’s prosecutor general.

Those allegations, which prosecutors now say were brazen fabrications motivated by Mr. Smirnov’s animosity toward the president, were widely promoted by congressional Republicans who cited it as a justification for their now-stalled effort to impeach Mr. Biden.

Mr. Smirnov was taken into custody last week as he walked off an international flight from what prosecutors described as “a monthslong, multicountry foreign trip.” During that trip, he claimed to have had contacts with multiple foreign intelligence agencies and had planned to embark on a similar trip days later, according to the memo.

What makes the Smirnov case so unusual, aside from its political significance, is the willingness of the F.B.I. to publicly burn a confidential informant who had been on the bureau’s payroll as recently as last year. The filing contained excerpts from his source reporting documents, raw notes from interviews between handlers and informants that are considered some of the most sensitive federal law enforcement documents.

Also on Tuesday, Hunter Biden’s legal team filed motions in federal court arguing that the arrest of Mr. Smirnov — while unrelated to the charges Mr. Biden faces — has tainted the public’s perception of their client, making fair trials impossible.

“It now seems clear that the Smirnov allegations infected this case,” said Abbe Lowell, Mr. Biden’s lawyer, who accused Mr. Weiss of following “Mr. Smirnov down his rabbit hole of lies.”

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is “thinking of running” for U.S. Senate, according to a fundraising text his campaign sent out on Friday.

Why It Matters: The text comes just hours after Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she is leaving the Democratic Party to sit as an independent, which roiled Arizona Democrats already infuriated with the centrist Senator.

What It Says: “Ruben Gallego here, humbly asking you to donate to my campaign. Yes, I’m thinking of running for Senate,” says the text, a copy of which was obtained by Axios.

• Gallego, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is a fourth-term Phoenix congressman and Marine veteran who has long been floated as a potential candidate to primary Sinema from the left.

• Gallego put out his own statement which didn’t address his own plans, but said: “I have never backed down from fighting for Arizonans … Unfortunately, Senator Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans."

Zoom Out: Arizona Democrats are sending strong signals they aren’t concerned about the risks of potentially splitting the Democratic vote if Sinema runs again.

• “Senator Sinema may now be registered as an Independent, but she has shown she answers to corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans,” the state party said in a scathing statement after her announcement.

• “Sinema just made our jobs easier by bowing out of a Democratic primary she knew she couldn't win,” said the Primary Sinema PAC. “Now, we'll beat her in the general election with a real Democrat."

#us politics #news #axios #independents #sen. kyrsten sinema #Arizona #Rep. Ruben Gallego #2024 elections #Democrats #Congressional Progressive Caucus #Primary Sinema PAC #2022 #us senate

[reasonsforhope]

"The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case from Alabama, with two conservative justices joining liberals in rejecting a Republican-led effort to weaken a landmark voting rights law.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh aligned with the court’s liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black seat out of seven districts in a state where more than one in four residents is Black. The state now will have to draw a new map for next year’s elections.

The decision was keenly anticipated for its potential effect on control of the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives. Because of the ruling, new maps are likely in Alabama and Louisiana that could allow Democratic-leaning Black voters to elect their preferred candidates in two more congressional districts.

The outcome was unexpected in that the court had allowed the challenged Alabama map to be used for the 2022 elections, and in arguments last October the justices appeared willing to make it harder to challenge redistricting plans as racially discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act of 1965...

The case stems from challenges to Alabama’s seven-district congressional map, which included one district in which Black voters form a large enough majority that they have the power to elect their preferred candidate. The challengers said that one district is not enough, pointing out that overall, Alabama’s population is more than 25% Black.

A three-judge court, with two appointees of former President Donald Trump, had little trouble concluding that the plan likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the votes of Black Alabamians. That “likely” violation was the standard under which the preliminary injunction was issued by the three-judge panel, which ordered a new map drawn.

But the state quickly appealed to the Supreme Court, where five conservative justices prevented the lower-court ruling from going forward. At the same time, the court decided to hear the Alabama case.

Louisiana’s congressional map had separately been identified as probably discriminatory by a lower court. That map, too, remained in effect last year and now will have to be redrawn.

The National Redistricting Foundation said in a statement that its pending lawsuits over congressional districts in Georgia and Texas also could be affected."

-via AP, June 8, 2023

#scotus #supreme court #united states #us politics #voting #voting matters #voting rights #voting rights act #racial justice #gerrymandering #alabama #louisiana #georgia #texas #good news #hope #also Pat Robertson died today - good news really is coming in threes!

[action]

The Midterms: Voting & The Disability Community

Join @whenweallvote, the American Association of People with Disabilities’ REV UP Voting Campaign, and The Whole Person to ask questions about the upcoming midterm elections, how you can register to vote, and all you need to know about Election Day.

September 12-16, 2022 is Disability Voting Rights Week, a time for advocates and communities to build the power of the disability vote through voter registration, voter education, community engagement, and more! The disability community is one of the largest voting blocs in the country, with over 38 million eligible voters with disabilities in 2020.  The community also faces access barriers at the ballot box: only 17.7 million voters of the 38 million eligible voted in 2020. This September 16th, get your questions answered about the intersection of voting and the disability community and how to make voting more accessible to disabled folks. 

What are you waiting for, Tumblr? Ask them a question, and head over here to see their answers. 🗳️Don't forget to get registered to vote (HERE)🗳️!

MEET THE PANEL

Priestley M. Johnson (She/Her), Director of Strategic Community Partnerships, When We All Vote

Priestley M. Johnson the Director of Strategic Community Partnerships and is responsible for When We All Vote’s partnership program that delivers voter registration tools and resources to hundreds of partners across the nation. Ms. Johnson is a passionate advocate and avid relationship builder dedicated to using her skill set of strategic partnerships, project management, business development, and event planning. With previous experience in the Obama White House and the International Women’s Forum, Priestley is passionate about advocating for more resources for those in need and building capacity through fundraising. A proud Howard alumna, Johnson is committed to moving the needle. 

Lilian Aluri (She/Her), REV UP Voting Campaign Coordinator

Lilian Aluri started off interning at AAPD in the summer of 2020, as a NYU VOTE 2020 Fellow, getting out the disability vote in the 2020 elections. Lilian then began a contract with AAPD and has since been working together with the REV UP team to continue to build the power of the disability vote, research voting accessibility issues, and also support AAPD’s broader advocacy. In her current role as the REV UP Voting Campaign Coordinator, Lilian supports the national REV UP network, facilitating trainings and webinars, convening the advisory committee, organizing national voting initiatives and collaborating with REV UP organizers to advance the power of the disability vote. Lilian also manages AAPD’s blog and a weekly email digest highlighting disability in the news.

As the older sister of a young man with Down syndrome and as someone with some mental health disabilities, Lilian values her role at AAPD as a chance to help create a more inclusive and just society in which all people with disabilities can thrive.

Kendra A. Burgess (She/Her), Public Policy Coordinator, The Whole Person  

Kendra A. Burgess joined The Whole Person in 2019 as Public Policy Coordinator, where she currently advocates for issues impacting people with disabilities at the city, state, and federal levels of government in Kansas and Missouri. 

Prior to this role, Kendra served as a congressional staffer for the Honorable U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill for several years, where she handled a portfolio of federal issues, including labor, healthcare, and housing. Additionally, she lends her voice to elevate issues impacting people with disabilities by writing opinion articles for regional news outlets, educating the public through press interviews, and collaborating with community partners to offer Diversity Equity and Inclusion Programming. Learning to thrive through her own invisibly disabilities, Kendra is a volunteer women’s health advocate by serving as the Kansas/Missouri Representative for the Worldwide EndoMarch, an organization seeking to advocate for those living with Endometriosis.

#midterm #take action #signal boost #midterm elections #disability voting rights week #disability rights #issue time #voter rights #voter registration #wwav x aapd x twp x tumblr

[mydaddywiki]

David Perdue

Physique: Average Build Height: 6′3″

David Alfred Perdue Jr. (born December 10, 1949 -) is an American politician and business executive who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Perdue was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Georgia in 2022. The Macon, Georgia native was a former globe-trotting management consultant and CEO of a sneaker manufacturer Reebok and a discount-store chain Dollar General.

Perdue first ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014, later losing his reelection bid in 2020. He later supported a lawsuit by Trump allies seeking to overturn the election results, and falsely claimed during his 2022 gubernatorial election campaign that his 2020 Senate election was "stolen."

Handsome with a nice looking ass, Perdue has developed the ability to bulge in just about every pic he's in. Perdue was linked to the 2020 congressional insider trading scandal for allegations of STOCK Act violations, but unless that is somehow going to result in him doing nude photo-shoots and porno's on Older4Me then I don't have much of an opinion. He's a politician, of course he's corrupt.

Of course he's married with with children. What politician now days isn't. What politician now days isn't. Anyway, he had quickly become one of my favorite politicians. And if you've seen some of his bulge shots, he'd be one of your favorite politicians too. Also, he's a first cousin of Sonny Perdue, former Governor of Georgia and United States Secretary of Agriculture, who I'd also take a deep dicking from.

I'd SO like to spend a weekend of vigorous fucking with the two of them. For now, I can fantasize about David and how good of a fuck he is.

#david perdue #mydaddywiki politicians

[luulapants]

Where California politicians stand on Palestine

The majority of Democrats in DC, despite their voter base being overwhelmingly in support of a ceasefire, refuse to disavow the genocide in Gaza or call for ceasefire.

They are able to do this, to disregard the outrage of their constituency, because they feel certain that no matter how many letters we send, we will show up and vote for them when the time comes. They are certain their actions have no consequences.

Senator Alex Padilla received about $31k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for a ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Senator Laphonza Butler was appointed in Oct 2023 after the death of Diane Feinstein, who was pro-Israel. No campaign finance info on file. She refuses to call for a ceasefire. Perhaps she's waiting for her payout.

12/52 California congressional representatives are Republicans. None have called for ceasefire. Palestinian genocide is core to the Republican platform.

Of the 40 Democrat representatives, only 11 have called for ceasefire. The following CA Democrat representatives have called for ceasefire. They were not swayed by money received from Israeli lobby groups.

Jared Huffman, 2 - not swayed by $1k from Israeli lobby groups this election cycle, down from 13.5k and 9.5k in the last two

John Garamendi, 8 - not swayed by $500 whole dollars from Israeli lobby groups, down from 5k and 15k

Mark Desaulnier, 10 - not swayed by $1k, down from 4k and 4.5k

Barbara Lee, 12 - not swayed by $13.5k, down from 27k and just 4k in 2020

Ro Khanna, 17 - not swayed by $12k, down from 45.5k and 23k

Judy Chu, 28 - not swayed by $1k, down from 7k and 10.5k

Tony Cardenas, 29 - not swayed by 35k, down from 70k and 38.5k

Jimmy Gomez, 34 - received nothing this cycle or 2020, not swayed by the $13.5k Israeli lobby groups gave in 2022

Robert Garcia, 42 - has received nothing from Israeli lobby groups since taking office in 2023

Maxine Waters, 43 - has received nothing from Israeli lobby groups in the past 3 election cycles

Sara Jacobs, 51 - not swayed by $9k, down from $26.5k in her first election cycle

The following CA Democrat representatives have refused to call for ceasefire. The approximate amount they've received from Israeli lobby groups since 2019 (the price it cost to buy their endorsement of genocide) is after each name and district number.

Mike Thompson, 4 (24k); Ami Bera, 6 (46.5k); Doris Matsui, 7 (9k); Josh Harder, 9 (159k); Nancy Pelosi, 11 (92.5k); Eric Swalwell, 14 (54.5k); Kevin Mullin, 15 (0 - 19-22 data missing); Anna Eshoo, 16 (34.5k); Zoe Lofgren, 18 (22k); Jimmy Panetta, 19 (14k); Jim Costa, 21 (127k); Salud Carbajal, 24 (27k); Raul Ruiz, 25 (24.5k); Julia Brownley, 26 (47.5k); Adam Schiff, 30 (205.5k); Grace Napolitano, 31 (8k); Brad Sherman, 32 (132k); Pete Aguilar, 33 (315.5k); Norma Torres, 35 (14.5k); Ted Lieu, 36 (122k); Sydney Kamlager, 37 (15.5k - 22 data missing); Linda Sanchez, 38 (36.5k); Mark Takano, 39 (17k); Nanette Barragan, 44 (69.5k); Lou Carrera, 46 (12.5k); Katie Porter, 47 (152.5k); Mike Levin, 49 (143k); Scott Peters, 50 (34k); Juan Vargas, 52; (208.5k)

The Republicans will be trash regardless, but we cannot let our Democrats skate by thinking there are no consequences for supporting a genocide. They are slaughtering people with your tax dollars, Americans. It's time to get serious. It's time to tell these people that they cannot have our votes for free. It's time to start talking about primary opposition and third party voting. It's time to start exercising our power as voting citizens.

#us politics #palestine #california politics #alex padilla #laphonza butler

[mapsontheweb]

Where the top 10 3rd Party/Independent Congressional Candidates per election were by state. 1998-2022.

133 candidates are represented due to ties, and popular vote percentages range from 4.2%-22.2%

by u/MikeMan233

#maps #MikeMan233 #us #elections

[kp777]

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

Jan. 6, 2024

"Billionaires attempting to influence politics from the shadows should not be rewarded with taxpayer subsidies," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.

Legislation introduced Tuesday by a pair of Democratic lawmakers would close a loophole that lets billionaires donate assets to dark money organizations without paying any taxes.

The U.S. tax code allows write-offs when appreciated assets such as shares of stock are donated to a charity, but the tax break doesn't apply when the assets are given to political groups.

However, donations to 501(c)(4) organizations—which are allowed to engage in some political activity as long as it's not their primary purpose—are exempt from capital gains taxes, a loophole that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) are looking to shutter with their End Tax Breaks for Dark Money Act.

Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who has focused extensively on the corrupting effects of dark money, said the need for the bill was made clear by what ProPublica and The Lever described as "the largest known donation to a political advocacy group in U.S. history."

The investigative outlets reported in 2022 that billionaire manufacturing magnate Barre Seid donated his 100% ownership stake in Tripp Lite, a maker of electrical equipment, to Marble Freedom Trust, a group controlled by Federalist Society co-chairman Leonard Leo.

The donation, completed in 2021, was worth $1.6 billion. According to ProPublica and The Lever, the structure of the gift allowed Seid to avoid up to $400 million in taxes.

"It's a clear sign of a broken tax code when a single donor can transfer assets worth $1.6 billion to a dark money political group without paying a penny in taxes," Whitehouse said in a statement Tuesday. "Billionaires attempting to influence politics from the shadows should not be rewarded with taxpayer subsidies."

"We cannot allow millionaires and billionaires to run roughshod over our democracy and then reward them for it with a tax break."

If passed, the End Tax Breaks for Dark Money Act would ensure that donations of appreciated assets to 501(c)(4) organizations are subjected to the same rules as gifts to political action committees (PACs) and parties.

"Thanks to the far-right Supreme Court, billionaires already have outsized influence to decide our nation's politics; through a loophole in the tax code, they can even secure massive public subsidies for lobbying and campaigning when they secretly donate their wealth to certain nonprofits instead of traditional political organizations," said Chu. "We can decrease the impact the wealthy have on our politics by applying capital gains taxes to donations of appreciated property to nonprofits that engage in lobbying and political activity—the same way they are already treated when made to traditional political organizations like PACs."

The new bill comes amid an election season that is already flooded with outside spending.

The watchdog OpenSecrets reported last month that super PACs and other groups "have already poured nearly $318 million into spending on presidential and congressional races as of January 14—more than six times as much as had been spent at this point in 2020."

Thanks to the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling, super PACs can raise and spend unlimited sums on federal elections—often without being fully transparent about their donors.

Morris Pearl, chairman of the Patriotic Millionaires, said Tuesday that "there is no justifiable reason why wealthy people like me should be allowed to dominate our political system by donating an entire $1.6 billion company to a dark money political group."

"But perhaps more egregious is the $400 million tax break that comes from doing so," said Pearl. "It's a perfect example of how this provision in the tax code is used by the ultrawealthy to manipulate the levers of government while simultaneously dodging their obligation to pay taxes. We cannot allow millionaires and billionaires to run roughshod over our democracy and then reward them for it with a tax break."

#dark money #super pac #citizens united #corruption #taxation #judy chu #sheldon whitehouse