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The Big Money for and against school vouchers in North Carolina
Groups in favor of and opposed to school vouchers have invested heavily in the North Carolina legislature and the state Supreme Court, which is now being asked to release voucher money despite a recent...
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How can we curb Big Money's corrupting influence?
With money pouring in from groups that don't have to disclose their donors, this is being called the "Dark Money Election." But a number of innovative initiatives are underway to limit money in...
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Republicans make big advances thanks to Citizens United
Two election cycles after the landmark Supreme Court decision loosening restrictions on corporate money in politics, research is emerging that assesses its impact on our political system -- and it...
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NC Democrats aim to answer GOP outside spending machine in 2014
Liberal-leaning groups in North Carolina are building their independent political spending network -- but as of now they're still being outspent by conservative-leaning groups by a 2-to-1 margin.Image:...
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What will it take to rein in Big Money?
The tidal wave of money flooding into our elections is carrying us further and further from the ideal of "one person, one vote." But outrage over the growing influence of Big Money is sparking...
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With public financing's demise, special-interest money pours into NC court races
In the first election since the end of North Carolina's judicial public financing program, Supreme Court and Court of Appeals candidates have raised nearly three times the amount of individual...
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'Banjo ad' player is back, hawking a different NC court candidate
The banjo player that appeared in TV ads for N.C. Supreme Court candidate Paul Newby in 2012 is back with a nearly identical ad promoting another conservative high court hopeful for 2014.Image: An ad...
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Cost of N.C. Supreme Court races tops $5 million
In the first year since the demise of the state's judicial public financing program, candidate fundraising and outside spending have pushed the cost of North Carolina court elections to a record...
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Outside spending reaches $7 million in N.C. state races
Nearly $7 million has flooded into state-level races in North Carolina from outside spending groups, according to a new analysis by FollowNCMoney.org. Unlike in past years, Democratic-leaning groups...
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How Big Petro's candidates fared in NC legislative races
The American Petroleum Institute jumped into the outside spending game in the North Carolina state politics this year. Most of its chosen legislative candidates won re-election -- but not all of them....
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Outside election spending grows, changes in North Carolina politics
Independent spending continues to grow in North Carolina politics, topping $9 million in 2014. But the groups involved and the way the money is spent is evolving, reshaping the state's political...
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Can Republicans show they're against Big Money, too?
Democrats made Big Money in politics a big issue in 2014, and now some Republicans want to tackle campaign-finance reform, too. But how far will GOP support go?Image: Spurred in part by Democratic...
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Outside political groups spent $10M in NC in 2014, favored GOP
Independent political groups unaffiliated with campaigns spent more than $10 million in North Carolina's 2014 state-level elections, nearly tripling the amount spent on legislative races two years...
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Pro-privatization money behind bills to boost N.C. charter schools
Bills to provide additional funding for charter schools were introduced this session at the North Carolina legislature. Most of the sponsors have benefited from campaign donations or independent...
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Loophole in N.C. election law delayed disclosure of $7 million in outside...
A Facing South/Institute for Southern Studies analysis finds that disclosure of more than $7 million spent in North Carolina's 2014 state-level elections was slowed due to inconsistencies in state...
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ALEC meeting draws backing from Big Energy, Southern corporate sponsors
More than 100 companies have severed ties with the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council, but documents show 54 companies still sponsoring the conservative policy group’s annual meeting...
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Art Pope jumps back into political spending game
After a stint as North Carolina's budget director, discount retail magnate and Republican kingmaker Art Pope is back to spending money on electoral politics.Image: After resigning as North Carolina...
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ISS Event: Money in politics as a civil rights issue
How does Big Money affect the promise of political equality? An event co-sponsored by the Institute for Southern Studies on Oct. 15 in Durham, N.C. will explore how today's campaign finance system...
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Despite state's growing diversity, North Carolina politics still dominated by...
A new Institute report finds that whites make up 95 percent of the state's largest political donors to high-profile contests and account for 97 percent of the big donations.Image: North Carolina's...
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Regulators fail to enforce campaign finance laws, so good-government groups...
Nonprofits, presidential candidates, and others are engaging in legally questionable political fundraising and spending as the government agencies that are supposed to enforce the law do nothing....
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