{"id":145828,"date":"2016-04-21T13:26:41","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T19:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=145828"},"modified":"2016-04-21T13:26:41","modified_gmt":"2016-04-21T19:26:41","slug":"1-billion-spent-in-2016-presidential-race-and-other-numbers-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/04\/1-billion-spent-in-2016-presidential-race-and-other-numbers-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"$1 billion spent in 2016 presidential race \u2014 and other numbers to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_54908\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/pictures-of-money\/17123251389\/in\/photolist-s6895e-chEwR9-bH1iX8-bt4mNt-42PQoC-a2YSa6-62QVKf-bta55K-dB7F8e-dK2oa7-aFDjPB-aYWk56-aFATbM-aFAaK6-aFAQEv-snzAJp-QxcaH-s4fksR-cMnty-bZvUDS-bta3kH-brd1K2-62LFqP-dTUAhR-5p8w8o-7jm7SP-8F5t1j-dSZe91-dUSc9a-a5SwX-dSK3tm-biaRHp-68vjKV-68zxeQ-9C9vCS-aFAPtx-9ZA9J6-cXNz15-9kJxyv-b6MUJK-68zxij-aFDkRt-aFDet2-bDwJ11-5DfGXv-bmm93i-55FLSR-aFDcrg-bf3Nge-nQZguc\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-54908 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-771x495.jpg\" alt=\"Money\" width=\"771\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-771x495.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-336x216.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-768x494.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-1170x752.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money-780x500.jpg 780w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Money.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Pictures of Money \/ Creative Commons<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big money, and plenty of oddities, mark the latest round of campaign disclosures. (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\">photo cc info<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s official: The 2016 presidential election is already a 10-figure affair.<\/p>\n<p>Household names such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/04\/12\/17107\/12-things-know-about-hillary-clinton\" target=\"_blank\">Hillary Clinton<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/04\/30\/17261\/12-things-know-about-bernie-sanders\" target=\"_blank\">Bernie Sanders<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/06\/16\/17488\/9-things-know-about-donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/03\/23\/16947\/ted-cruzs-presidential-cash-hunt-commences\" target=\"_blank\">Ted Cruz<\/a> account for much of this spending. But a gaggle of obscure and moneyed super PACs have likewise helped rocket campaign expenditures to mesospheric levels \u2014 ones unthinkable even four years ago.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This story comes from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2016\/04\/21\/19580\/1-billion-spent-2016-presidential-race-and-other-numbers-know\" target=\"_blank\">Center for Public Integrity<\/a>, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative media organization in Washington, D.C. It\u2019s\u00a0part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/politics\/buying-president-2016?utm_campaign=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo-news&amp;utm_medium=taxonomy-link\" target=\"_blank\">Buying of the President 2016<\/a>. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/politics\/buying-president-2016?utm_campaign=syndication&amp;utm_source=yahoo-news&amp;utm_medium=taxonomy-link\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> to read more stories in this investigation.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Here\u2019s a rundown of the more telling \u2014 and curious \u2014 statistics to emerge from a new round of political campaign disclosures:<\/p>\n<p><strong>$1 billion:<\/strong> Amount <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/10\/16\/18631\/see-how-much-2016-presidential-candidates-have-raised-so-far\" target=\"_blank\">spent<\/a> by presidential candidates and affiliated groups in the 2016 presidential race through March, according to a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Center for Public Integrity<\/a> review of federal campaign finance filings. Nearly two-thirds of this figure has been spent in the contentious GOP primary, which saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/10\/16\/18631\/see-how-much-2016-presidential-candidates-have-raised-so-far\" target=\"_blank\">more than a dozen candidates<\/a> vie for the party\u2019s nomination. The top-spending Republican? Cruz, who has spent more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/10\/16\/18631\/see-how-much-2016-presidential-candidates-have-raised-so-far\" target=\"_blank\">$70 million<\/a>. Meanwhile, Democrats Clinton and Sanders have combined to spend about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/10\/16\/18631\/see-how-much-2016-presidential-candidates-have-raised-so-far\" target=\"_blank\">$326 million<\/a>, with each spending about half that sum.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$118 million:<\/strong> Amount Sanders raised, through March 31, from small-dollar donors giving $200 or less. That sum represents nearly two-thirds of his overall haul. Sanders\u2019 unexpected fundraising prowess \u2014 he\u2019s raised about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/10\/16\/18631\/see-how-much-2016-presidential-candidates-have-raised-so-far\" target=\"_blank\">$186 million<\/a>, just <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mjbeckel\/status\/722981347287949312\" target=\"_blank\">$870,000<\/a> less than Clinton \u2014 has helped him stay competitive in the presidential primary. Small-dollar donors giving $200 or less only account for <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00575795\/1066337\/\" target=\"_blank\">about 20 percent<\/a> of Clinton\u2019s receipts through March. She\u2019s relied far more heavily on donors giving the legal maximum of $2,700. However, Clinton has a much wider lead in the delegate race than the fundraising race. She\u2019s won about 25 percent more pledged delegates to date than Sanders and needs only about 450 more delegates to secure the nomination, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/interactives.ap.org\/2016\/delegate-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$36.2 million:<\/strong> Amount Republican front-runner Trump has either donated or loaned to his presidential campaign from his own funds. A billionaire real estate tycoon and reality TV star, Trump <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/08\/15\/politics\/donald-trump-billions-campaign-spending\/\" target=\"_blank\">has said<\/a> he would spend up to $1 billion to win the White House \u201cif necessary.\u201d All the while, he\u2019s also raised <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/pres\/2016\/M4\/C00580100.html\" target=\"_blank\">more than $12 million<\/a> from people not named Trump. About three-fourths of that sum has come from small-dollar donors giving $200 or less.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$2.1 million:<\/strong> Amount Qualcomm Inc. executive Mark Epstein has donated to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/itemizer\/committee\/C00581777\/2016\" target=\"_blank\">Maryland USA<\/a>, the super PAC supporting his wife Amie Hoeber\u2019s congressional bid. Hoeber, a Republican running in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/races\/summary.php?id=MD06&amp;cycle=2016\" target=\"_blank\">Maryland\u2019s 6th Congressional District<\/a>, has raised <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00582296\/1061240\/\">$480,000<\/a> for her race, including <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00582296\/1061240\/\" target=\"_blank\">$350,000<\/a> that she\u2019s loaned her campaign. Epstein\u2019s contributions represent <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mjbeckel\/status\/720720300682424321\" target=\"_blank\">99.95 percent<\/a> of the money Maryland USA has raised.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>$2 million<\/strong>: Amount <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00573519\/1066046\/\" target=\"_blank\">spent<\/a> by retired neurosurgeon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/05\/04\/17280\/9-things-know-about-ben-carson\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Carson<\/a>\u2019s campaign in March, even though Carson <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2016-election\/ben-carson-suspends-2016-campaign-cpac-n532056\" target=\"_blank\">ended his presidential bid<\/a> on March 4. It\u2019s far less than the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2016\/03\/03\/19393\/ben-carsons-small-dollar-donors-could-keep-yielding-big-money\" target=\"_blank\">campaign spent<\/a> in previous months, but some top campaign consultants (including Eleventy Marketing and Precision Data Management) still took in six-figure payments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$1,055,100:<\/strong> What Democrat Willie Wilson <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00577916\/1066071\/sc\/ALL\" target=\"_blank\">is owed<\/a> by his own presidential campaign, for which he filed <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00577916\/1066071\/sc\/ALL\" target=\"_blank\">termination paperwork<\/a> Wednesday. Willie who, you say? Wilson is a Chicago businessman and gospel music show host who last year <a href=\"http:\/\/abc7chicago.com\/politics\/willie-wilson-announces-2016-presidential-bid\/714471\/\" target=\"_blank\">launched<\/a> the longest of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5mZxAFNUx7M\" target=\"_blank\">longshot<\/a> presidential bids. His self-funded campaign didn\u2019t go so well, as Williams failed to qualify for most primary and caucus contests. He did <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wistv.com\/story\/31329214\/largely-unknown-third-candidate-willie-wilson-courts-south-carolina-democrats\" target=\"_blank\">get on<\/a> the South Carolina primary ballot, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.enr-scvotes.org\/SC\/59277\/162732\/en\/summary.html\" target=\"_blank\">winning<\/a>\u00a00.35 percent of the Democratic vote.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$1 million:<\/strong> What oil giant Chevron Corp.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/itemizer\/filing\/1064132\/schedule\/sa#SA11.1107\" target=\"_blank\">donated<\/a> in March to a super PAC called the Congressional Leadership Fund, which\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.congressionalleadershipfund.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports Republican candidates<\/a>. Chevron, the second-largest oil company in the United States, is currently ranked as <a href=\"http:\/\/fortune.com\/fortune500\/chevron-3\/\" target=\"_blank\">No. 3 on the Fortune 500 list<\/a>, making it the largest known corporate super PAC donor. It\u2019s rare for large, publicly traded companies to donate to super PACs, but Chevron has now donated $4.5 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund since 2012, plus an additional <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/fecimg\/?201601319005010808\" target=\"_blank\">$1 million<\/a> to the Senate Leadership Fund <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/fossil-fuel-super-pac-donors_us_56b25c5ae4b04f9b57d82d06\" target=\"_blank\">last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$402,000<\/strong>: Amount former Florida Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/06\/15\/17142\/12-things-know-about-jeb-bush\" target=\"_blank\">Jeb Bush<\/a>\u2019s presidential campaign\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00579458\/1063896\/sa\/20A\" target=\"_blank\">reported making<\/a> from the sale of his donor information following Bush\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/jeb-bush-suspends-2016-campaign\/2016\/02\/20\/d3a7315a-d721-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">February withdrawal<\/a> from the presidential race. The buyer: direct response marketing firm <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thelukenscompany.com\/clients\/political\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Lukens Company<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$131,679<\/strong>: How much the Trump campaign spent on hats during March with headwear manufacturer Cali Fame. A single red cap dubbed &#8220;5 Panel Patriot&#8221; retails for $15.50 on Cali Fame&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.caliheadwear.com\/products\/patriot-5-panel?variant=6527537537\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a>. The seemingly same hat, with Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Make America Great Again&#8221; slogan embroidered on its front panel,<a href=\"http:\/\/shop.donaldjtrump.com\/product-p\/dtc-odtrh-rd.htm\">sells<\/a> for $25 on Trump&#8217;s website.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$100,000<\/strong>: Amount super PAC <a href=\"https:\/\/fpaction.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom Partners Action Fund<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00564765\/1065964\/sb\/ALL\" target=\"_blank\">contributed<\/a> to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/acceleratewv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Accelerate West Virginia<\/a>, a super PAC created to boost the gubernatorial bid of Republican state Senate President Bill Cole. The contribution is Accelerate West Virginia\u2019s largest received so far. Freedom Partners Action Fund is one of a network of groups linked to billionaire brothers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/charles-koch\" target=\"_blank\">Charles<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/David-Koch\" target=\"_blank\">David<\/a> Koch. Accelerate West Virginia <a href=\"http:\/\/acceleratewv.com\/who-we-are\/\" target=\"_blank\">describes<\/a> itself as \u201ca group of local West Virginians dedicated to moving our state forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>$72,290:<\/strong> Money Wisconsin Gov.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/07\/13\/17225\/12-things-know-about-scott-walker\" target=\"_blank\"> Scott Walker\u2019s<\/a> defunct presidential campaign <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00580480\/1066183\/sd\/12\" target=\"_blank\">owes<\/a> Jones Day, a Washington, D.C., law firm, for \u201clegal consulting.\u201d It\u2019s part of <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00580480\/1066183\/sd\/12\" target=\"_blank\">$952,256<\/a> in debt still on the Walker campaign\u2019s books. Curiously, Jones Day employs former Federal Election Commission Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/don-mcgahn\" target=\"_blank\">Don McGahn<\/a>, who now serves as Trump\u2019s general counsel. Walker last month\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2016\/03\/scott-walker-endorses-ted-cruz-221327\" target=\"_blank\">endorsed<\/a> Trump rival Cruz.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$72,000:<\/strong> Amount the Democratic National Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/itemizer\/filing\/1064103\/schedule\/sa#VR0E2FMXTV4\" target=\"_blank\">paid<\/a> pro-Clinton super PAC\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/American-Bridge\" target=\"_blank\">American Bridge 21st Century<\/a> in March for \u201cresearch services.\u201d American Bridge 21st Century, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2016\/04\/07\/19528\/inside-hillary-clintons-big-money-cavalry\" target=\"_blank\">specializes<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/nation\/la-na-opposition-research-presidential-election-20150521-story.html\" target=\"_blank\">opposition research<\/a>, raised <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00492140\/1064103\/\" target=\"_blank\">about $3.1 million<\/a> during the first three months of 2016, with <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/itemizer\/filing\/1064103\/schedule\/sa#VR0E2GHRKD3\" target=\"_blank\">major donors including<\/a> billionaires <a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/george-soros\/\" target=\"_blank\">George Soros<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/phillip-ragon\/\" target=\"_blank\">Phillip \u201cTerry\u201d Ragon<\/a>. The super PAC has also collected $210,000 from its sister 501(c)(4) nonprofit \u2014 known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizenaudit.org\/organization\/275278038\/american-bridge-21st-century-foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\">American Bridge 21st Century Foundation<\/a>, which doesn\u2019t disclose its donors \u2014 in the form of \u201coverhead and staff expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>$50,000:<\/strong> Amount <a href=\"http:\/\/nymag.com\/daily\/intelligencer\/2015\/04\/laura-ricketts-encounter.html\" target=\"_blank\">Laura Ricketts<\/a>, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/itemizer\/filing\/1064071\/schedule\/sa#VNW3HE7C065\" target=\"_blank\">donated in February<\/a> to LPAC, a <a href=\"http:\/\/ivn.us\/2013\/03\/30\/hybrid-super-pacs-growing-in-popularity\/\" target=\"_blank\">hybrid super PAC<\/a> she <a href=\"http:\/\/teamlpac.com\/2012\/07\/11\/lpac-first-of-its-kind-lesbian-political-action-committee-launches-today\/\" target=\"_blank\">helped launched<\/a> in 2012 that <a href=\"http:\/\/teamlpac.com\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\">seeks<\/a>\u00a0to \u201cbuilds the political power of lesbians and queer women by electing candidates who champion LGBTQ rights, women\u2019s equality and social justice.\u201d Ricketts\u2019 contribution accounted for about 20 percent of the LPAC\u2019s receipts this year through March. The group has <a href=\"http:\/\/teamlpac.com\/our-candidates\/hillary-clinton\/\" target=\"_blank\">endorsed<\/a> Clinton in the 2016 presidential race and also <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00519413\/1064071\/sb\/23\" target=\"_blank\">directly donated to<\/a> Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Donna Edwards of Maryland.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$44,000<\/strong>: Cash super PAC Pursuing America\u2019s Greatness <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00542464\/1065572\/sb\/ALL\" target=\"_blank\">spent<\/a> on legal and compliance costs in March. The group, which supported former Arkansas Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/05\/05\/17180\/9-things-know-about-mike-huckabee\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Huckabee\u2019s<\/a> unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination, is\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fec.gov\/law\/litigation\/PAG.shtml#dc\" target=\"_blank\">engaged in a lawsuit<\/a> challenging FEC regulations that prohibit the use of a candidate\u2019s name by unauthorized committees such as super PACs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7,194:<\/strong> Orders of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com\/files\/1445\/Hard_Rock_Cafe_Menu.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">hand-breaded onion ring towers<\/a> one could buy for $50,000 at the Hard Rock Rocksino, an entertainment facility in suburban Cleveland featuring horse racing, casino gaming and eponymous chain restaurant fare. Fifty grand is also what the Hard Rock Rocksino <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/itemizer\/filing\/1066024\/schedule\/sa#SA11AI.6618\" target=\"_blank\">contributed last month<\/a> to New Day for America, a super PAC supporting Ohio Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/04\/22\/17209\/9-things-know-about-john-kasich\" target=\"_blank\">John Kasich\u2019s<\/a> long-shot presidential bid. It clearly takes a gambler to place such a political bet: Bookmaker Paddy Power pegs Kasich\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.paddypower.com\/bet\/politics\/other-politics\/us-politics?ev_oc_grp_ids=481890\" target=\"_blank\">odds of winning the Republican nomination<\/a> at 14-to-1.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$2,500:<\/strong> How much Facebook\u2019s political action committee\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00502906\/1065956\/sb\/23\" target=\"_blank\">friended<\/a> Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/Cory-Gardner\" target=\"_blank\">Cory Gardner<\/a> with on March 31. The contribution isn\u2019t itself particularly odd. But Gardner, a Republican from Colorado, isn\u2019t running for re-election in 2016. Or in 2018. He\u2019ll likely face his next political contest in June 2020 \u2014 50 months from now \u2014 when Colorado conducts a congressional primary ahead of elections for the 117th Congress. (The 114th Congress is currently seated.) Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/Steve-Daines\" target=\"_blank\">Steve Daines<\/a>, R-Mont., also received a four-years-early contribution from Facebook\u2019s PAC.<\/p>\n<p><strong>$35:<\/strong> Price of getting \u201cyour name permanently displayed next to mine in the chairman\u2019s lobby at GOP Headquarters,\u201d writes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/2806290\/NewtemailCenterforPublicIntegrity.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI5WMXH27O6KH3ALA&amp;Expires=1461183876&amp;Signature=gtYsxp5SjreLlynmkA%2BfxhhixVM%3D\" target=\"_blank\">in a fundraising message<\/a> sent Wednesday on behalf of the Republican National Committee. If anyone needs cash, it\u2019s Gingrich: As of March 31, his 2012 presidential campaign remained more than $4.6 million\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/pdf\/050\/201604149012412050\/201604149012412050.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">in debt<\/a>, with <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00496497\/1061775\/sd\/12\" target=\"_blank\">more than 100 vendors<\/a> among Newt 2012\u2019s creditors \u2014 including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/Twitter\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/Comcast\" target=\"_blank\">Comcast<\/a> and a consulting company led by fellow 2012 presidential also-ran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/news\/Herman-Cain\" target=\"_blank\">Herman Cain<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1:<\/strong> The number of things on which \u201cDonald and Ted\u201d say they stand together, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/2806354-Stophillarypac-Centerforpublicintegrityemail.html\" target=\"_blank\">fundraising email from Stop Hillary PAC<\/a>. That thing? Stopping Clinton from becoming president. How did Stop Hillary PAC, a scrappy conservative outfit perhaps best known for defying FEC orders to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/06\/01\/17430\/anti-hillary-groups-fec-take-hike\" target=\"_blank\">change its name<\/a>, ever get Trump and Cruz to join forces? Simple: it didn\u2019t. \u201cDonald\u201d is Donald Ferguson, the PAC\u2019s political director, and \u201cTed\u201d is Ted Harvey, its chairman. Might sending fundraising messages from a Ted and Donald \u2014 sans last names \u2014 cause potential donors to be misled, even a teeny, tiny bit? \u201cNot to my knowledge, and that&#8217;s pretty far-fetched,\u201d treasurer Dan Backer told the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Center for Public Integrity<\/a>, noting that both men have been signing Stop Hillary PAC missives since 2013. The PAC raised more than <a href=\"http:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00544767\/1066443\/\" target=\"_blank\">$130,000<\/a> during the first three months of 2016, mostly from small-dollar donors.<\/p>\n<p><em>Alexander Cohen and Chris Zubak-Skees contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Big money, and plenty of oddities, mark the latest round of campaign disclosures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[708,705,226,116],"class_list":["post-145828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-2016-election","tag-money-in-politics","tag-presidential-race","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}