(Missouri News Service – Farah Siddiqi) – Undisclosed funding, or “dark money,” is flowing into the 2024 election cycle.
Political spending by donors who choose to remain anonymous is reaching record levels, according to a report by OpenSecrets.
Anna Massoglia, the editorial and investigations manager at Open Secrets, mentioned that dark money might originate from obscure shell companies or non-profits, often financing misleading attack ads against candidates from either political party.
“When you have dark-money groups fueling this spending,” Massoglia stated, “the voter may not know the interests the secret donors have in getting a specific candidate elected, passing a ballot measure, or advancing any other policy issue.”
In 2022, OpenSecrets discovered that the Conservative Americans PAC spent over $2.4 million in GOP primary races for U.S. House seats in Missouri, Tennessee, and Arizona.
They found that the super PAC received financial backing from the undisclosed American Economic Freedom Alliance and American Prosperity Alliance before the elections.
Proponents of dark money donations claim they represent a form of free speech, and courts have frequently ruled that political donations are protected by the First Amendment.
However, campaign watchdogs contend that while donations may be a form of protected speech, the government is not prohibited from mandating complete disclosure of the sources of these donations. Without such disclosure, campaign advertising becomes inherently deceptive.
Massoglia noted that the benefit derived from dark money varies from one state to another, depending on the party and the side of the political aisle. Furthermore, the patchwork of limits and disclosure rules greatly varies across states.
“In some states, you can have 501(c)(4) dark-money groups or shell companies contribute directly to candidates’ campaigns,” Massoglia explained, “which is not permitted at the federal level. They’re only allowed to spend in support of the candidate.”
Massoglia highlighted that although dark money can originate from various sources, it often comes from a specific type.
She pointed out that 501(c)(4) nonprofits are intended to serve social welfare purposes. However, due to the lack of restrictions on their spending, they can expend practically unlimited sums on elections without disclosing their donors.
