The State Elections Enforcement Commission was surprised Monday to find a provision added to campaign finance legislation that, arguably at least, might undermine the commission in its litigation against the Connecticut Democratic Party. One reason for the surprise was that the unwanted language appeared in a bill proposed by the commission itself.
campaign finance
Posted inPolitics
Wolf blames young staffers for campaign disarray
August Wolf, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate beset by staff turnover, financial problems and allegations of a hostile work environment, broke a six-day silence Thursday and blamed the three young staffers he put in charge of his campaign for its failings.
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GOP activists still search for a challenger to Blumenthal
With less than three months until Republicans endorse a candidate for U.S. Senate, GOP activists are seeking an alternative to their only candidate, August Wolf, whose campaign is beset by financial and staffing issues.
Posted inPolitics
Opportunity knocks, but Wolf campaign in disarray
It should be the best of times for August Wolf. His only rival for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate recently stepped aside, yet Wolf’s campaign is coping with allegations of a hostile work environment, turnover of top staff, tight money and the threat of civil action by the Federal Election Commission. He is on his third leadership team, and his former manager says the campaign is nearly broke.
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New leader, but same result: CT GOP trails in fundraising
The Connecticut Republican Party struggled to compete financially during J.R. Romano’s first six months as state chairman, collecting about 29 cents for every dollar contributed to the state Democratic Party, according to reports filed over the weekend.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Assistant AG: Democrats trying to ‘stonewall’
A lawyer defending the Connecticut Democratic Party against an investigative subpoena essentially told a judge Tuesday it’s nobody’s business how the party came to solicit state contractors, regulated industries and beneficiaries of state for campaign contributions in the 2014 campaign cycle.
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Democrats’ campaign finance cuts lose steam
Few trial balloons at the State Capitol have deflated as quickly as a proposal this week by Democratic legislative leaders to save $11.7 million by suspending Connecticut’s groundbreaking system of publicly financed campaigns.
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No resolution over SEEC’s authority in Malloy case
A Superior Court judge was disinclined Thursday to resolve whether federal law preempts state authorities from investigating if the Democratic Party illegally supported the re-election of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy with contributions from state contractors. The party wants him to halt the investigation with a ruling about jurisdiction.
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Democrats challenge commission’s authority to investigate Malloy in campaign case
A Superior Court judge will conduct an evidentiary hearing this week that could determine if the State Elections Enforcement Commission can investigate whether the Connecticut Democratic Party illegally supported Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s re-election with contributions from state contractors.
Posted inPolitics
CT lawmakers raising plenty of campaign cash
Washington – Although most of them are running unopposed, members of Connecticut’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives have raised plenty of campaign cash this year.
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Connecticut’s Week in Washington
Members of the Connecticut delegation weighed in this week on gun control, Medicare and Medicaid coverage for prostheses, and the looming sale of Plum Island in Long Island Sound. But the all-Democratic delegation just sat back and watched the GOP struggle over naming a new speaker of the House.
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Connecticut home to key fundraisers in White House race
WASHINGTON – Connecticut is proving to be fertile ground for Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and other presidential candidates seeking campaign cash in what’s expected to be the most expensive race for the White House in history.
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Malloy campaign investigation lands in ‘an ugly place’
Open warfare erupted Thursday between the State Elections Enforcement Commission and the Democratic Party over an investigation into how the party financed its support for the re-election of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Democrats preemptively attacked the commission’s credibility as the panel voted to seek court action to enforce an investigative subpoena.
Posted inPolitics
Irony not dead in this CT campaign finance fight
The Democratic Party is using federal campaign finance reforms co-sponsored by former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays, a Republican, to challenge a subpoena issued by state elections officials investigating a GOP complaint about the re-election of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Shays says the Democrats are exploiting an unintended consequence of his reforms: federal preemption.
Posted inNews
DeLauro continues to lead defiance against Obama on trade
WASHINGTON — A defiant Rep. Rosa DeLauro vowed Tuesday to continue her battle against President Obama’s trade agenda, even as the president, usually a political ally, scrambled to find a way to rally support for legislation that would facilitate negotiations of a new trade pact with 11 Pacific Rim partners.