independent spending

January 15, 2021 - The Republican Attorneys General Association, currently led by Chairman Chris Carr of Georgia and Policy Chair Steve Marshall of Alabama, is under fire for its role in amplifying false claims of presidential election fraud. We look at the group's history and its corporate funders — some of whom are now reconsidering their support.

February 14, 2018 - The news that North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest solicited millions of dollars from a Durham businessman for supposedly "independent" political groups highlights loopholes in state campaign finance law that need to be closed.

March 12, 2015 - 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 earlier. While Republicans enjoyed a slight edge in support, Democrats are catching up.

September 30, 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.

September 5, 2014 - 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 finds that the decision has disproportionately benefited Republicans, especially in North Carolina and Tennessee.

October 16, 2012 - New campaign finance reports offer a glimpse into the backers of the N.C. Judicial Coalition, one of several outside spending groups backing a conservative justice for a tie-breaking seat on the state Supreme Court.

July 26, 2012 - Big spending by super PACs in federal races has grabbed headlines, but outside money can have an even bigger influence in state-level politics. Enter FollowNCMoney.org, a landmark project to track the deluge of independent spending in the battleground state of North Carolina.