Independent groups that do not disclose the identity of their donors spent $132.5 million to influence elections nationwide this year, accounting for about a third of all spending by outside groups in the 2010 election cycle, a report released Friday found.
The analysis by the office of New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio aimed to quantify how federal campaigns had been affected by the Supreme Court’s so-called Citizens United ruling. The ruling, handed down in January, cleared the way for companies and unions to spend unlimited funds to influence elections, often using money from anonymous donors.
Groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees took advantage of the new rules, spending tens of millions on campaign ads in races across the country.
Other groups formed specifically to make use of the new rules spent lavishly as well, including the Republican-leaning American Crossroads and Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, which were formed with help from former President George W. Bush’s top adviser, Karl Rove.
De Blasio’s office analyzed aggregate spending data filed to the Federal Election Commission, along with independent expenditure records. The office also conducted a more in-depth analysis on the ten costliest Senate races in 2010.
Among the findings:
• Anonymous or unlimited corporate spending allowed by the Citizens United ruling represented 15 percent of all federal political spending in 2010.
• Spending allowed by Citizens United accounted for $85 million in all 2010 Senate races, $40 million of which went to the ten costliest contests.
• Ads paid for by groups soliciting anonymous donors were more likely to be negative than those paid for by groups that disclose their donors. Seventy-five percent of the ads paid for by anonymous donors were negative, as opposed to 54 percent of ads by groups that name their donors.
• Heavy spending by groups under Citizens United did not necessarily guarantee victory. In three of the most expensive Senate races, candidates won despite a heavy onslaught of Citizens United spending directed at them.
Those included Nevada, where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid defeated Republican Sharron Angle; California, where incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer held off a strong challenge from Republican Carly Fiorina; and Connecticut, where Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal defeated Republican Linda McMahon to claim the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd.
Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey Launch Production House 34North
Executive producers Ron Cicero and Bo Clancey have teamed to launch 34North. The shop opens with a roster which includes accomplished directors Jan Wentz, Ben Nakamura Whitehouse, David Edwards and Mario Feil, as well as such up-and-coming filmmakers as Glenn Stewart and Chris Fowles. Nakamura Whitehouse, Edwards, Feil and Fowles come over from CoMPANY Films, the production company for which Cicero served as an EP for the past nearly five years. Director Wentz had most recently been with production house Skunk while Stewart now gains his first U.S. representation. EP Clancey was freelance producing prior to the formation of 34North. He and Cicero have known each other for some 25 years, recently reconnecting on a job directed by Fowles. Cicero said that he and Clancey “want to keep a highly focused roster where talent management can be one on one--where we all share in the directors’ success together.” Clancey also brings an agency pedigree to the new venture. “I started at Campbell Ewald in accounts, no less,” said Clancey. “I saw firsthand how much work agencies put in before we even see a script. You have to respect that investment. These agency experiences really shaped my approach to production--it’s about empathy, listening between the lines, and ultimately making the process seamless.” 34North represents a meeting point--both literally and creatively. Named after the latitude of Malibu, Calif., where the idea for the company was born, it also embraces the power of storytelling. “34North118West was the first GPS-enabled narrative,” Cicero explained. “That blend of art and technology, to captivate an audience, mirrors what we do here--create compelling work, with talented people, harnessing state-of-the-art... Read More