money in politics

May 21, 2015 - Nine states, four of them in the South, hold judicial elections but don't ban judges from seeking campaign cash from people that could appear before them. Following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a Florida case upholding such bans, judicial watchdogs are working to change the law in these outlier states.

April 30, 2015 - Five years after the BP disaster, a group of governors led by North Carolina's Pat McCrory is pushing for drilling in the Atlantic. The group has close ties to a secret-money nonprofit and energy lobbyists, a relationship that raises questions about transparency, ethics and the blurring of public and private interests.

February 19, 2015 - 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?

February 11, 2015 - A Facing South/Institute for Southern Studies report reveals the top power players in North Carolina politics, based on their lobbying clout and spending on state elections. It's a snapshot of the special interests that are best able to make their voices heard -- and push their agenda -- with state lawmakers.

February 10, 2015 - In a new report, "Tar Heel Power Brokers," Facing South/Institute for Southern Studies ranks the top 101 most influential special interests in North Carolina politics through a combination of lobbying power and political spending in N.C. state-level elections. Use this interactive graphic to look up any special interest and learn about its spending and lobbying.

February 10, 2015 - In a new report, "Tar Heel Power Brokers," Facing South/Institute for Southern Studies ranks the top 101 most influential special interests in North Carolina politics through a combination of lobbying power and political spending in N.C. state-level elections. These four interactive graphics tell the story of these power brokers' influence in state government.

January 16, 2015 - Next week the U.S. celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It also marks the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that ended campaign spending limits -- and the two occasions are more closely linked than many realize.