civitas action

August 13, 2015 - 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.

June 6, 2014 - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing this week on the corrupting influence of money in politics, and a North Carolina state lawmaker testified about the role of conservative political money man Art Pope.

October 9, 2013 - Under fire for using his personal fortune to buy elections, North Carolina's leading conservative financier denies giving money to super PACs -- but campaign finance watchdogs say his denial amounts to playing word games while he's building a "government of the obscenely rich, by the obscenely rich, and for the obscenely rich."

September 11, 2013 - Plaintiffs suing over North Carolina's controversial new elections law have notified the Civitas Institute -- a conservative think tank founded and largely funded by Republican mega-donor Art Pope, now state budget director -- to preserve documents and other records related to the legislation.

August 29, 2013 - The conservative mega-donor, now the state budget director, played important but behind-the-scenes roles in the passage of one of the nation's most restrictive voting laws, from ginning up fear of voter fraud to backing politicians who fought for voting restrictions.

May 17, 2013 - The recent IRS scandal has brought new attention to the role of so-called "social welfare" nonprofits in politics. What nonprofit groups are trying to influence elections in North Carolina?

May 15, 2013 - For years, North Carolina mega-donor Art Pope kept a low profile, quietly building one of the most influential state-based political networks in the country. Now, from his perch as the governor's budget director, Pope and his agenda are getting national media scrutiny.