Tag: fundraising

A growing Democratic 2020 field appears to be having an impact on the first-quarter fundraising totals for candidates. The panel compares current totals with those from 2007 Democratic contenders. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news and in-depth…

Newly elected Rep. Ilhan Omar will jet off to Los Angeles next month to keynote a fundraiser for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a terror-tied organization that was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorist financing case in U.S. history. “CAIR-LA is honored to have Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) as the featured speaker for the 4th Annual Valley Banquet,” reads a press release from the Los Angeles chapter of the group that was formed as a Hamas support network in the United States. She will deliver her address alongside CAIR-Florida director Hassan Shibly, according to a CAIR flier promoting the event. Moreover, Shibly regularly takes to social media to demonize the U.S. military as equivalent to the jihadi terrorists that they are fighting. The director of CAIR-Los Angeles is Hussam Ayloush, who, like many CAIR executives, has disturbing Islamist views. Following the tragic San Bernardino terrorist attacks, Ayloush suggested that the United States was “partly responsible” for the ISIS-led attack on innocents in California. “Let’s not forget that some of our own foreign policy, as Americans, as the West, have fueled that extremism,” he added. Though AIPAC does not contribute to political campaigns, CAIR certainly does. CAIR’s fundraiser is just one of the controversial events lined up for Omar’s schedule. HSBC bank has also severed ties with the organization, cautioning that funds delivered to the group could end up in the war chests of terrorist organizations.

Charles Johnson’s 15 minutes of infamy may not have run their course. It was enough that some critics — Dr. Harry Edwards and civil rights attorney John Burris among them — called for a boycott of the Giants. … I walked away thinking this is a pretty decent fellow,” he said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Need I even describe Santorum's long record as a senator and in other roles attacking LGBTQ communities? Followed by: Johnson has contributed $ to James Inhofe's campaigns. pic.twitter.com/Oxgt0uWy7t 2014, Johnson contributed $2,600 to Bill Cassidy's campaign for U.S. Senate. Gianforte lobbied against a Bozeman city anti-discrimination law to protect LGBTQ people. He's given over $1 million to groups that are anti-LGBTQ, including some that peddle conversion "therapy." — Darwin BondGraham (@DarwinBondGraha) December 4, 2018 In all, BondGraham cites 13 politicians (including one-time presidential candidate Michele Bachmann) and one PAC among Johnson’s political benefactors. “All of which is to say that Johnson’s recent campaign contributions to a candidate who joked about attending a lynching, and to a PAC that ran racist ads in Arkansas, is contextualized in a long history of his giving to anti-LGBTQ politicians,” BondGraham wrote.

House Democratic nominees are outraising Republicans in individual contributions by about two-to-one. The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast crew debates how to make sense of a fundraising advantage that has no recent precedent: Does it foretell a better result for Democrats than expected, or have changes in fundraising methods made it a poor predictor of results? The team also reviews the marquee governors races on the ballot this fall. You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or by downloading it in iTunes, the ESPN App or your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen. The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast publishes Monday evenings, with occasional special episodes throughout the week. Help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. Have a comment, question or suggestion for “good polling vs. bad polling”? Get in touch by email, on Twitter or in the comments.

Democrats court West Virginians with pre-existing conditions On Tuesday, President Trump will head to West Virginia, home to one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. A Gallup poll following Mr. Trump's first year in office found that he received his highest approval ratings in 2017 from West Virginians. He and his campaign are hoping to convince West Virginia voters that a vote for Morrisey is a vote against coverage for pre-existing conditions. We actually got rid of Obamacare, except for one vote. Three in four say a candidate must agree with them on health care to get their vote. Health care may be more of a make-or-break issue for Democrats. Incumbent Republican Rep. Don Young is running for reelection in Alaska's one at-large House seat. Senate primaries In Wyoming, incumbent Republican Sen. John Barrasso is expected to advance and win reelection this fall. Gubernatorial primaries There are gubernatorial primaries in both Alaska and Wyoming. In Alaska, the Republican gubernatorial primary is very competitive.

The Atlanta Braves franchise is wading into the race for Georgia governor by hosting a high-dollar fundraiser this month for Republican Brian Kemp, though the team said it expects to also chip into Democrat Stacey Abrams’ campaign. The event cost donors $13,200 to host and $1,000 to attend. Braves spokeswoman Beth Marshall said the franchise often donates to candidates from both parties, and noted it gave $1,000 to Abrams in 2015 and 2016 during her state House runs. She said the team’s donation does not amount to “taking a political stance for either gubernatorial candidate.” Marshall added: “As of today, we have yet to be contacted to support Abrams’ campaign, but are expecting to do so.” The Atlanta Braves are one of the better politically-connected businesses in Georgia, and the team regularly hosts powerful politicians, including a recent event held by the Republican Governors Association. It donated $2,500 to Gov. The team did not appear to give to either Democratic candidate in those contests. The franchise was also an early supporter of Lt. Gov. It gave four separate donations to Cagle over the last year totaling $11,000. The Braves were far from alone in that respect. Other hosts of the event include former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, outgoing state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, Cobb District Attorney Vic Reynolds and other Cobb County GOP movers and shakers.

Donald Trump’s personal lawyer arranged for a $1.6m payment to a Playboy playmate in 2017 to keep secret her sexual relationship with a top Republican fundraiser and ally of Trump, a person familiar with the matter said. Trump's attorney asks judge to let president vet seized Cohen documents Read more Michael Cohen, whose home and office were raided this week by FBI agents searching in part for information about payoffs to women alleging sexual encounters with Trump, handled the matter on behalf of the fundraiser, Elliott Broidy, the person said. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was confirming a Wall Street Journal report. The official requested anonymity to discuss a private phone call between McDaniel and Broidy. In a statement, Broidy acknowledged that he had a relationship with a Playboy model and offered to help her financially after she told him she was pregnant. The woman’s name has not been made public and the source declined to disclose it. Broidy said Cohen contacted him after being contacted by the woman’s attorney, Keith Davidson. Broidy said he retained Cohen because Cohen had a prior relationship with Davidson. Cohen and Davidson did not immediate respond to requests for comment. The first court hearing resulting from the Cohen raids was held in New York on Friday.

President Trump is fundraising off of Vice President Pence's dramatic walkout from an Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday, when several San Francisco 49ers kneeled during "The Star-Spangled Banner." Their stunt showed the world that they don’t believe our flag is worth standing for," the president said Monday in an email from the Trump Make America Great Again Committee. Trump then slammed the "Fake News Media" for "relentlessly" attacking Pence for showing "patriotism" in his decision to leave the game. In a statement Sunday, Pence said he left the game because "President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem." During the game, it appeared that over a dozen players of the San Francisco 49ers kneeled for the national anthem. Pundits and sports personalities have called Pence's move a "political stunt," suggesting he planned to walk out before ever setting foot in the stadium. The remarks, however, inspired many more players to kneel or link arms during the the national anthem to protest Trump's attacks. Trump, in the email, said the media will lose "this fight, because we have the AMERICAN PEOPLE standing on our side."

Vice President Pence was slated to attend a fundraiser in Wisconsin on Thursday evening after visiting with Gov. Scott Walker (R) to discuss tax reform. Pence arrived at a hotel in downtown Milwaukee for the fundraiser, according to White House pool reports. The event benefits the Trump Victory fund, a joint committee benefiting President Trump's reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee, The Associated Press reported. It cost $2,700 per person to attend the event and couples had the option of dining with the vice president for $35,000, the AP reported, citing an invitation it obtained. The vice president joined Walker and several local leaders earlier on Thursday for a talk on tax reform, one day after President Trump and GOP lawmakers unveiled a major tax cuts plan.

. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in August reportedly broke a record with its fundraising haul. The committee brought in its largest fundraising haul for an off-year in August, NBC News reported. It raised $6.26 million during the month. For the same month in 2015, the committee brought in just $4.15 million. "With the House in play, another record-breaking month of fundraising for the DCCC is a clear sign that the grassroots energy behind House Democrats is constantly growing stronger," Tyler Law, a spokesman for the committee, told NBC News. "Given Speaker [Paul] Ryan's [(R-Wis.)] failure to govern with unified Republican control of Washington, it's understandable that vulnerable House Republicans are opting for retirement while we are recruiting incredible candidates deep into the map." The campaign committee has raised $72.46 million so far this year. As of July, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) had about $12 million more than the Democratic committee, according to NBC News.