Dan Weiner

NEW this a.m. from @brennancenter.org: Analysis of the top 40 super PAC donors as of mid-Oct over the last 4 midterms since Citizens United shows big changes, incl. a major shift of big $$ to the GOP, new crypto cash + the disappearance of labor from the top 40. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

NEW from the @financialtimes.com: 70% of voters are very or somewhat concerned about self-dealing and other corruption in the Trump Admin, including 1/2 of Trump voters. This echoes our polling, which shows that corruption and affordability are linked in voters’ minds www.ft.com/content/2770...

It’s not a surprise that candidates are focused on corruption in the closing weeks of the campaign. But the big question is what the winners will do about it.

Corruption is a truly cross partisan issue. Our own polling has shown that Republicans, Democrats and Independents are all very angry about it.

Trump’s use of the presidency to enrich himself is in many ways of unprecedented, but it's not just about him. Voters are angry at both parties. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

The last big bonanza of FEC filings before the election has come in! My top takeaway: the legal framework we’ve had since Watergate for limiting the corrupting influence of money in elections is close to dead, with a stark divide between the two parties emerging in how they fundraise.

The big question for after the election is what whoever wins will do about it.

The last big bonanza of FEC filings before the election has come in! My top takeaway: the legal framework we’ve had since Watergate for limiting the corrupting influence of money in elections is close to dead, with a stark divide between the two parties emerging in how they fundraise.

So far we are seeing very little evidence of that, with super PACs set to break records.

The last big bonanza of FEC filings before the election has come in! My top takeaway: the legal framework we’ve had since Watergate for limiting the corrupting influence of money in elections is close to dead, with a stark divide between the two parties emerging in how they fundraise.

Of course, donor disclosure is now largely optional. Dark money is much harder to track than it was 5 years ago, but it’s clear this election will break records, as my colleague @ianvan.bsky.social lays out here. bsky.app/profile/ianv...

The last big bonanza of FEC filings before the election has come in! My top takeaway: the legal framework we’ve had since Watergate for limiting the corrupting influence of money in elections is close to dead, with a stark divide between the two parties emerging in how they fundraise.

Democratic candidates are pulling in record $$$ from conventional donors (who can give up to around $7K per cycle). GOP candidates are raising much less, but more than making up the difference through super PACs funded by Elon Musk and other megadonors like the Uihleins, Jeff Yass and Miriam Adelson

The last big bonanza of FEC filings before the election has come in! My top takeaway: the legal framework we’ve had since Watergate for limiting the corrupting influence of money in elections is close to dead, with a stark divide between the two parties emerging in how they fundraise.

Huge amounts of money coming in from big donors to pay for the WH ballroom, including from major govt contractors.

Bombshell from NYT’s @teddyschleifer.bsky.social: upcoming filings show that Elon Musk, whose companies hold billions in federal contracts, has already dropped a record $366M on the midterms, much of it to help the Senate GOP. Hard to think of a historical parallel. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/u...

Of course, we don’t know how much Musk or any wealthy donor is actually giving, because campaign disclosure rules are also very easy to evade through dark money groups that don’t disclosure their donors. We only know about the money reported here because Musk and his entities wanted us to know.

Bombshell from NYT’s @teddyschleifer.bsky.social: upcoming filings show that Elon Musk, whose companies hold billions in federal contracts, has already dropped a record $366M on the midterms, much of it to help the Senate GOP. Hard to think of a historical parallel. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/u...

IMO massive GOTV operations are much more valuable than the sort of last minute ad blitzes that used to be super PACs’ stock and trade. The effect is also harder to pick up in polls. We likely won’t know the impact this money had until after the election.

Bombshell from NYT’s @teddyschleifer.bsky.social: upcoming filings show that Elon Musk, whose companies hold billions in federal contracts, has already dropped a record $366M on the midterms, much of it to help the Senate GOP. Hard to think of a historical parallel. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/u...

Interesting @nytimes.com conversation but, uh, we don’t actually know if “Democrats beat the GOP money machine” because the election hasn’t happened yet. And even if the basic dynamics of the cycle are set, money will matter in ways the polls don’t capture. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/10/o...

This is basically the reverse of 2024, when Trump got outraised but still had plenty of money, including almost $300M from Elon Musk, who then embedded himself in the administration.

Interesting @nytimes.com conversation but, uh, we don’t actually know if “Democrats beat the GOP money machine” because the election hasn’t happened yet. And even if the basic dynamics of the cycle are set, money will matter in ways the polls don’t capture. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/10/o...

Last minute ad blitzes are maybe less important, but certainly they can move the needle in close races, of which there are many. Here too regulators and the Supreme Court have given Republicans a boost this cycle. www.reuters.com/world/us-sup...

Interesting @nytimes.com conversation but, uh, we don’t actually know if “Democrats beat the GOP money machine” because the election hasn’t happened yet. And even if the basic dynamics of the cycle are set, money will matter in ways the polls don’t capture. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/10/o...