Federal Election Commission

Allen West, Tea Party Wünderkind, Funnels Campaign Cash to Two New Nonprofits

He's baaaaaaack! Allen West, the outspoken Palm Beach Gardens Tea Party Republican congressman who lost his reelection bid late last year, has shuffled hundreds of thousands of dollars in leftover campaign money to seed the Allen West Foundation and American Legacy Guardians.

Buying the Vote: Don't Fool Yourself: South Florida's Richest Are Calling the Shots in This Election

Lake Worth Activist Center, the Night Heron Folds Its Wings

"Fuck me open like a prayer book," the poet declaimed, setting down his guitar to recite. It was Sunday evening on the grounds of an aging, pink/orange stucco home in a Lake Worth immigrant neighborhood, and the Monkeywrench Cafe--a one-time-only affair--was drawing to a close. The first in series o ... More >>

Allen West Not Paying Payroll Taxes on Campaign Workers

Congressman Allen West's campaign isn't paying its taxes.The question, however, is if it owes any. A review of campaign finance disclosure documents shows West has spent well over $300,000 since the beginning of 2012 on consulting, staffers, and costs directly associated with his staff. But, while D ... More >>

Allen West Goes on National Fundraising Tour: Eight Out-Of-State Fundraisers

Many blogs have already been written of Congressman Allen West's Friday announcement that he'd raised well over $2 million between April and the end of June. What we didn't know until Sunday afternoon, however, was how he spent it. Documents filed with the Federal Election Commission reveal West too ... More >>

Koch Industries PAC Donates to Adam Hasner and Connie Mack

Remember 2010, when the Medicare scooter-riding lunatic fringe of the Republican Party swept to power? Two years later, the people who gave you Allen West and Michele Bachman have stopped making daily headlines, but their influence is still strong.Billionaire oil barons Charles and David Koch, the s ... More >>

How Rick Scott Can Get Away With Raking In Millions in Unlimited Contributions

Gov. Rick Scott spent $73 million of his own money in the 2010 governor's race. When asked in April if he'd be cutting more checks for reelection in 2014, he responded, simply, "I won't have to... I don't know what it will cost, but we'll have the money to win."And if the donations to his "Let's Get ... More >>

Allen West Forms Yet Another Fundraising Committee With Far-Right Georgian

The Allen West fundraising machine lumbers on.Last month, he formed a joint fundraising committee with Georgia Rep. Paul Broun, who likes using phrases like "walk up the hill of liberty" and is a fellow fan of calling Barack Obama a Marxist. This month, it's a different Georgia congressman -- Lynn W ... More >>

More Complaints Filed Against Connie Mack for Mailers

Last month, MAOS blogger (and new Sunshine Brigade member) Chaz Stevens submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission after we questioned whether Rep. Connie Mack's $18,000 postcard "mistake" actually constituted an illegal campaign contribution.Mack, who today announced an endorseme ... More >>

Chaz Stevens Files FEC Complaint Against Connie Mack

MAOS blogger and professional filer-of-complaints Chaz Stevens says he submitted a formal complaint to the Federal Elections Commission yesterday in connection with our coverage of Congressman Connie Mack's illegal campaign mailer incident.

Could Connie Mack's Mass-Mail "Accident" Be an Illegal Contribution Worth $18 Grand?

Republican Senate candidate Connie Mack has had to deal with a bit of drama the past few days. And the check pictured above could mean that the drama isn't over.The trouble started when Mack, who bills himself a fighter of liberal "spending sprees," decided to spend a pile of federal money ($18,000 ... More >>

Allen West Forms Joint Fundraising Committee With Fellow Commie-Baiting Ideologue Paul Broun

The Allen West national fundraising machine got a new arm yesterday, when the South Florida congressman filed forms with the Federal Election Commission to form a joint fundraising committee with Georgia Rep. Paul Broun.The "Broun-West Committee" was listed on a revised statement of candidacy from W ... More >>

Why Does Connie Mack Get to Use a Fake Name in Congress?

Florida Congressman Connie Mack hasn't been using his real name. Not in Federal Election Commission filings, not in his Congressional bio, not in federal financial disclosure documents. Even on forms that ask for "Full Name" or "Name of Candidate (in full)," he writes -- and later signs -- "Connie M ... More >>

Allen West Campaign Outraises Almost Every Other House Member; Money Coming From Everywhere

​Say what you will about Allen West as a legislator; as a fundraiser, there's no doubting that he's very, very good. Finance documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday complete a picture of 2011 fundraising that reveals he's raised about $5.8 million so far in the elect ... More >>

Credo Mobile Creates Super PAC, Immediately Targets Allen West

​A cell phone company is jumping into the fight for District 22.Credo Mobile was founded in the '80s as a long-distance phone service that sent 1 percent of customer charges to "further the causes of human rights, women's rights, peace, environmentalism and an entire progressive agenda." The found ... More >>

Mark Oxner, Florida Congressional Candidate, Releases Terrifying Anti-Obama Ad

​Though the new Florida congressional district lines haven't been finalized, candidates for office in what will be the new 27th District are starting to mobilize -- former Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson, who was booted out of his District 8 office in 2010, raised more than half a million dollars bet ... More >>

South Florida's Dirty Dozen: Our Annual List of Our Worst

Broward Teachers Union President Under Investigation; Board Members Split on Action

Broward Teachers UnionPat Santeramo​Pat Santeramo, president of the Broward Teacher's Union, is currently under investigation by the Broward State Attorney's Office and the Broward Sheriff's Office, according to a spokesman from the State Attorney's Office.Additionally, a spokesman from the Browar ... More >>

Allen West's PAC Contributions Include Some Old Favorites: Bank of America and Halliburton

​Rep. Allen West's campaign submitted its quarterly report to the Federal Election Commission at the end of the week, and he scored a few grand from the political action committees of a few companies that think it's a good idea to keep West in office, including Bailout Bank of America and Hall ... More >>

Obama Banking on Florida Fundraisers, Including Eight From Broward and Palm Beach

herrodooky.tumblr.com​President Obama's reelection campaign released its list of 351 volunteer fundraisers who have helped him rake in the big bucks -- more than $50,000 -- with 29 of them coming from Florida and eight of them from either Broward or Palm Beach counties.None of the GOP presidential ... More >>

Allen West Raises More Cash Than His Opponents -- About $1.5 Million More

Rep. Allen West​The Democratic opponents to Rep. Allen West have ranked among the top fundraisers of all the congressional challengers during this election cycle -- and they're still getting drowned by the cash coming into the campaign of the Tea Party titan.West's campaign announced today that he ... More >>

Patrick Murphy, the Hopeful Challenger to Rep. Allen West, Breaks $1 Million in Fundraising

Patrick Murphy​The campaign of Democrat Patrick Murphy -- who hopes to take on Rep. Allen West in the 2012 election -- announced today that candidate Murphy has raised $1.1 million in his bid for the congressional seat.Murphy, who raised more money in the first two quarters than any other congress ... More >>

Lois Frankel Outraises Patrick Murphy During Last Quarter in Bid to Take On Allen West

Lois Frankel​Shortly after we posted the announcement from the Patrick Murphy campaign about the hopeful Democratic challenger raising $313,000 last quarter -- $1.1 million total -- we got word from the camp of Lois Frankel, the other Democrat in the race, striking back.Frankel's campaign announce ... More >>

Patrick Murphy Also Contributed to Charlie Crist's U.S. Senate Campaign

Murphy for CongressPatrick Murphy​After yesterday's story that 2012 congressional candidate Patrick Murphy was the only recipient of campaign contributions from former Gov. Charlie Crist for this election cycle, we've discovered that Murphy also donated to Crist's failed U.S. Senate bid.According ... More >>

Patrick Murphy: The Only 2012 Candidate With Campaign Contributions From Charlie Crist

Murphy for CongressPatrick Murphy​Former Gov. Charlie Crist certainly has plenty of friends and enemies across Florida, but we now know who he's a fan of in the 2012 elections: congressional candidate Patrick Murphy.Murphy -- a Democrat who's touted having the highest fundraising totals of any con ... More >>

Allen West a Hypocrite for Calling President Obama a Hypocrite, Thanks to Sarah Palin

Rep. Allen West: Hypocrite.​President Barack Obama raised a record-setting amount of cash for his reelection campaign last quarter -- $86 million.Rep. Allen West decided to call out Obama on Twitter, saying, "Congratulations to our POTUS on his record setting fundraising- but I must know, how ... More >>

Florida Judge Kills Matching Funds; Money is Considered Free Speech in Political Campaigns

illinoisstate.edu​Just days after the U.S. Supreme Court found Arizona's matching-funds campaign law unconstitutional, a Florida federal court judge halted a similar provision in this state.The issue, unsurprisingly, was brought up in a lawsuit by then-candidate Rick Scott, who said his right ... More >>

LeMieux Back at Gunster After Brief Senatorial Stint; the Door Keeps on Revolvin'

​Now that President Obama has named Bill Daley, a JPMorgan Chase chairman whose loudest pronouncements over the past months have been to ridicule Obama's signature accomplishments -- as his chief of staff, it should be perfectly clear: Washington and big business go together like bread and butter. ... More >>

[UPDATED] Is Broward Congressional Candidate Still Campaigning Despite Failing to Qualify?

Photo: brianreillyforcongress.netReilly's candidacy made him a friend of GOP luminaries like Michele Bachmann.​Brian Reilly has talked tough during the early part of his 2010 congressional campaign, launching the slogan "Fire Debbie Wasserman Schultz." But the April 30 candidate filing deadline ca ... More >>

[UPDATED] Did Sarah Palin Break Campaign Finance Laws During Visit to Lauderdale Airport?

Flickr: Akfirebug"If you want us to deice the steps, Madame Governor, it'll cost another 7-grand."​In March, a political action committee for Sarah Palin twice [SEE NOTE BELOW] spent $7,321 to deice her private jet after it had landed at a Fort Lauderdale aiport, according to Federal Elections Com ... More >>

If Money-Bundlers Are Going to Jail, We're Gonna Need More Jails

Flickr: Jeremy JohnstoneFor campaigning politicians, cash is better by the bundle.​As word spread that Scott Rothstein's associates might be charged in the federal investigation for circumventing campaign finance laws, it must have made a whole lot of Broward folks anxious. If you work for a devel ... More >>

Fort Lauderdale builder gets no-bid contract to build new Marlins stadium

Show Us Some Green

America's most colorful third party could use some attention — and some cash.

Last Candidate Standing

Davie's Richard Grayson has built a political career of joke campaigns

Bombing Run

Keith Clayborne throws missiles from a safe distance

Letters May 6-12, 2004

Save 'em from slaughter; end the travesty:

Deutsch Marks

He's raised a lot of money in his bid for the Senate, but from whom?

Indian War

A Hollywood man has spent the past decade trying to pry open the Seminoles' accounting books -- without much success

At Work in the Fields of the Lord

Long hours. Low pay. Hardly any rights. It's the life of Palm Beach County's hidden underclass: migrant farm workers.