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“…Citizens United, which allowed corporations and unions to raise and spend unlimited amounts on elections, was premised significantly on the Court’s assumption that all of this newly permitted election spending would be transparent. In reality, many of the groups the Court allowed to spend money on elections were not required to disclose their donors. Since Citizens United, dark money groups have spent at least $4.3 billion on federal elections.
As dark money has proliferated, it has also evolved. Immediately after Citizens United, many newly empowered groups purchased their own ads to influence elections. Some of these purchases were reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which makes such information publicly available. However, since at least 2020, dark money groups have largely shifted toward making large transfers to allied super PACs — in amounts that far exceeded any previous direct ad spending. These totals can only be tabulated by reviewing each super PAC’s campaign finance reports. Dark money groups also increasingly run ads, including many online ads, that are worded and timed such that they do not trigger FEC disclosure requirements.
This analysis offers the first comprehensive accounting of dark money in the most recent federal election cycle….”
Excerpt - Anna Massoglia, author
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