dark money

Commentators are marking the legacy of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, which removed limits on independent political spending and opened the door to unlimited 'dark money' in American elections. A Texas Observer piece argues the right has exploited the decision with devastating efficiency, wielding influence not through detailed arguments but through large campaign checks.

A magazine piece by Jorge Meave Jr. argues that the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates to unlimited dark money in American politics, which the right has used 'with devastating efficiency' — not by writing treatises, but by writing checks. The item frames campaign finance deregulation as central to conservative political power.

Campaign mailers promoting a socialist candidate in Ohio's US Senate race have been traced to a vendor with links to a MAGA-aligned super PAC, raising claims of a Republican ploy to meddle in the Democratic primary by boosting a weaker opponent. Critics call it deceptive election manipulation, while the vendor's involvement intensifies scrutiny of dark-money tactics in the race.

A new piece out today from the Texas Observer examines the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, arguing it opened the floodgates to unlimited dark money in American politics. The reporting says the right has used that ruling with devastating efficiency, funding political influence not through public argument but through large undisclosed checks to allied groups.