If you cannot win
with truth, spend more money!
Super PACs
raising millions to take down Florida Senator Bill Nelson
07/17/12 07:11
PM—Updated 09/06/13 07:02 AM
Add Senator Bill
Nelson (D-FL) to the list of Citizen
United’s potential casualties. The moderate Democrat, who has held his
seat since 2001, is now under attack from some of the most prominent Super PACs
and political donors in the country.
According to msnbc’s
Hardball, the Republican
Super PAC American Crossroads has poured $6.2 million into the race between
Nelson and Republican challenger Connie Mack IV.
The Koch Brothers and Sheldon
Adelson have also donated a million dollars each. In total, right-wing Super
PACs and outside donors have put about $14.6 million into the campaign.
“At least we know
who Sheldon Adelson is, because he’s not hiding behind these IRS c(4)
organizations that don’t have to disclose their donors,” Nelson said on
Tuesday’s Hardball. Most
Super PAC funds come in the form of so-called “dark money” from donors who have
the legal option of remaining anonymous.
The New York Times’ Jonathan
Weisman explained to host Chris Matthews how some of these outside spending
groups worked around disclosure laws in order to influence elections.
“They go the IRS,
say, ‘We want to be a non-profit social welfare organization—we’re not going to
be involved in electoral politics, don’t worry,’” Weisman said. “They get that
designation from the IRS, therefore they don’t have to divulge any of the names
of their donors. They quickly get one $4 million donation from one anonymous
donor, and immediately go on the air against 11 Democrats with just brutal
ads.”
Adelson, of course,
may have reasons beyond just profit and ideology for wanting to influence the
federal government. As Lean
Forward reported
on Monday, the billionaire’s casino business is currently under federal
investigation for potential violations of the Corrupt Practices Act.
Millions being spent
to defeat Democratic US Senator
By: GARY FINEOUT,
Associated Press
Updated: May 3, 2018
- 12:51 PM
Millions being spent
to defeat Democratic US Senator
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. (AP) - The clash between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democratic
incumbent who coasted to easy victories in his last two elections in Florida,
and Gov. Rick Scott is quickly escalating into an expensive and now negative
campaign.
A super PAC that
Scott once chaired announced Thursday that it is launching a new television ad
that goes after Nelson.
The New Republican
super PAC said it plans to spend $2.4 million on an ad that contends the
three-term senator has not accomplished anything during his lengthy time in
office.
The ads echoes
criticism that Scott has already leveled at Nelson by noting how he has been
paid during his political career.
The round of ads
from the pro-Scott group is coming right as the Scott campaign is in the midst
of spending more than $5 million on three different television ads.
Those ads feature
Scott but do not criticize Nelson directly.
The flurry of
activity six months ahead of Election Day underscores that the race against
Scott is Nelson's most serious challenge since he was first elected to the U.S.
Senate in 2000.
The election could
be pivotal in deciding whether the Democrats are able to wrestle control of the
U.S. Senate away from Republicans.
Nelson campaign
manager Marley Wilkes ripped the ad and fired back at Scott,
who was forced out
as chief executive of Columbia/HCA amid a federal fraud investigation. Although
Scott was never charged with any wrongdoing, the health care conglomerate paid
a then-record $1.7 billion fine for Medicare fraud.
"This is
nothing but a baseless, Rick Scott Super PAC attack trying to distract from his
record of putting himself first at the expense of Floridians," Wilkes
said. "Bill Nelson has spent his time as a public servant fighting for
Floridians."
Scott, a
multi-millionaire businessman who first ran for political office in 2010,
followed a similar strategy in his two runs for governor as he hit the airwaves
months before he was on the ballot. In his initial run for governor Scott and
his family poured more than $70 million of their own money into the race.
Scott in May 2017
became chairman of the New Republican super PAC and raised money for the group,
but stepped down from that role shortly before he announced his run against
Nelson.
End Citizens United,
a political action committee that backs Democrats, has filed a federal election
complaint that maintains Scott has coordinated his Senate run with the super
PAC in an effort to skirt federal campaign finance laws.