Peter Olsen-Phillips Posts

Election season has almost reached its costly, bitter end, but the spigot of money that runs from PACs and special interests to federal campaigns is still running. We've taken a look at where the late money is going in House races and found some incumbents in supposedly safe districts fundraising as if their races are closer than they would like them to be.

Seven months after the Supreme Court struck down a provision of campaign finance law that limited the total amount that individuals could contribute to campaigns, parties and political action committees, big donors have a host of new options to more conveniently spread their political influence around.

Massive checks from billionaires like Tom Steyer, Michael Bloomberg and James Simons have fueled a Democratic outside spending machine that has helped to keep vulnerable candidates in contention across the country.

As disclosed spending by third-party groups crests $650 million, it's voters in a handful of states who are bearing the brunt of the advertising barrage. In Alaska's Senate battle, where incumbent Democrat Mark Begich is running neck and neck with Republican Attorney General Dan Sullivan, we estimate that outside groups have spent $120 — or more — for each likely voter in the sparsely populated state.

Shoe-ins like Paul Ryan aren't using their fundraising prowess to raise cash for their embattled comrades out of the kindness of their own hearts – they're doing it to nail down future votes for leadership roles and committee assignments.

American Unity PAC, the high-powered super PAC founded by major GOP donor and gay rights activist Paul Singer, has entered a new congressional race — cutting a new round of ads slamming Democratic incumbent Joe Garcia as a scandal-prone Washington hypocrite.

With most of media attention and special interest dollars in election 2014 have been aimed at competitive Senate races, data from Sunlight's Real-Time Federal Campaign Finance tracker shows outside spenders have plunked down $120 million trying to influence the outcome of races for the U.S. House. But in this case the biggest spending outsiders are the ultimate insiders: A new Sunlight analysis finds that political party committees are the biggest underwriters of competitive House races.

With a little more than a month remaining until the general election, the steady stream of cash flowing from big donors to competitive campaigns is starting to turn into a flood. Total outside spending has topped $330 million.

Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, is the subject of a congressional ethics inquiry that has moved to House Committee on Ethics, according to a press release on his congressional website. From the congressman: "My office is aware of and is cooperating fully with the Ethics Committee’s preliminary inquiry into an FEC reporting error."

Deemed the "Bo Jackson" of the communications world by a President Obama, Wheeler had played nearly every position in the telecom industry by the time he was nominated to Chair the agency.