Money In Politics

November 21, 2014 - A report released this week by the Sunlight Foundation calculated what 200 of America's most politically active corporations invested in federal lobbying and campaign contributions over six years -- and the value of what they got in return: $760 in federal support and contracts for every $1 spent.

November 21, 2014 - 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 landscape.

November 20, 2014 - A study by the Center for American Progress looked at the success rates of law firms arguing cases before North Carolina's highest court and compared them to the firms' contributions to justices' campaigns. The findings underscore concerns about impartiality in a court system flooded in political money since the end of the state's public financing program for judicial races.

November 3, 2014 - Hedge fund investor Tom Steyer's entrance into politics this election cycle may have revived the environment movement as a political force. But Steyer and Co. are still playing small ball in a big money game -- a story that got lost in the blitz of media coverage.

October 31, 2014 - 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 high.

October 29, 2014 - 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.

October 27, 2014 - Predatory lenders continue to target members of the U.S. military -- and they're getting help from some state politicians like North Carolina House Speaker and U.S. Senate candidate Thom Tillis.