Blue Press Journal

Tag: campaign finance

  • America is Being Bought by Billionaires

    NOVEMBER 3, 2026

    Voters across the nation are heading to the polls for the 2026 midterms, which are expected to be the most expensive Congressional race in US history. The significant increase in money in politics is being driven by a small group of super-rich donors with the biggest name being billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk.

    Comic text reads “AMERICA IS BEING CONTROLLED BY BILLIONAIRES” and “THE SHADOWY HANDS OF EXTREME WEALTH CONTROL OUR FATES, ONE ASSET AT A TIME,” with labels “INFLUENCE PURCHASED,” “LAND SEIZED,” “REAL ESTATE,” “MEDIA,” “LAND SEIZED,” “VOTES MANIPULATED,” “PUBLIC RESOURCES,” and “POLITICAL POWER.”

    Musk has donated around $446 million of his own wealth (a drop in the ocean for the world’s richest man) to the 2026 cycle in an effort to help ensure the Republican Party retain their slim grip on both houses of Congress. Almost half (around 50%) has gone to the Texas Senate race to help Ken Paxton (Attorney General) win against Democrat James Talarico who is ahead in recent polls.

    Musk is the largest donor of the cycle, but a report from OpenSecrets on Monday shows just how much 14 other billionaires and their partners have spent.

    These include long-time GOP donors Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein who have donated almost $150 million to conservative candidates this cycle. Billionaire investor and school-choice advocate Jeff Yass has also put in over $110 million to help Republicans win the midterms.

    “I think it’s quite clear why Elon Musk and the billionaires are throwing so much money into this race. They want to ensure that Trump and his Republican Congress work for them and not for working families. We can defeat them. We need to organise, organise, organise.” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said over the weekend.

    The only Democrat in the top 5 individual donors this cycle is former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who has donated over $83 million.

    As with previous cycles, the large donors have made use of campaign finance laws which allow unlimited donations to independent political committees like Super PACs. These groups are allowed to spend any amount of money promoting or opposing candidates as long as they remain independent from official campaign committees.

    According to data from OpenSecrets, the total amount of money spent on the 2026 midterms will be around $11.9 billion, beating 2024 to become the most expensive Congressional race in US history.

    Super PACs must be transparent with where their money comes from, however they often get money from middlemen who are not bound by these rules.

    Judd Legum, creator of the Popular Information newsletter, noted on Tuesday that $1.4 billion of the money raised this cycle comes from non-profits who do not disclose who their donors are according to federal records.

    “This includes both money moved from these non-profits to super PACs and direct spending by the non-profits. We’ve never seen so much dark money in politics. Contributions from groups with unknown donors are over six times greater than the 2018 midterms.” Legum added.

  • The Dark-Money Pipeline : Why Maine Deserves Answers From Susan Collins Essay

    By Winston Wendell

    When Maine residents vote, they need to demand integrity and transparency from their senior. However, Senator Susan Collins has consistently been at odds with transparency and has attracted the FBI’s suspicion on multiple occasions. Even though her campaign’s dark money contributions have been scrutinized in the past, it seems that Mrs. Collins has managed to secure a steady stream of untraceable funds. Thanks to Donald Trump’s DOJ they buried the investigation.

    According to recent reports, there is a minimum of $7.4 million in dark money that has been allocated to Collins’ campaign. Additionally, these contributions closely mirror the pattern of suspicious shell-donor payments that had previously aroused FBI’s interest. If true, these allegations could severely damage Collins’trust as a senator since her actions suggest that she may be willing to accept large sums of money from unknown sources in exchange for political favors.

    Senator Collins may want to present herself as a fair and impartial political figure, but the facts speak for themselves. Her campaign’s finances have been invaded by middlemen and billionaires for the past several years, and it appears that Mrs. Collins is quite comfortable with this.

    The amount of dark money in the system is utterly unacceptable, as it has the potential to swallow up any minority donations from Mainers’ voices. Susan Collins needs to prove to the people of Maine that she can be a trusted political figure in the state, and not bought to the highest bidder!

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  • Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Political Ads: Unethical, Illegal, and Unacceptable

    Unethical, Illegal, and Unacceptable Misuse of Public Funds

    by Winston Wendell

    The Trump administration has crossed another bridge on its way to complete disaster by publicly displaying a campaign ad that utilizes taxpayer funds. The video, taken from Trump’s 2024 campaign, includes his usual insults at “villains” and “institutions.” This is not only shameful but illegal and ethically wrong.

    According to the Hatch Act, federal employees cannot engage in any politics while on duty and misusing federal resources. Additionally, the Anti-Lobbying Act and appropriations acts state that it is illegal to use federal funds for “publicity or propaganda” for a candidate. In other words, Trump has officially been purchasing attack ads with taxpayer’s money.

    This is an utterly unethical and completely corrupt practice, fueled by Trump’s vindictiveness and thirst for attention. The money paid by citizens for defense, roads, or public healthcare gets wasted on ad campaigns for political purposes. This public relations operation will damage the reputation of the government and the office of the president.

    Such an unethical and corrupt action demonstrates Trump’s contempt for the rule of law and democratic norms in general. According to CREW, this latest scandal further illustrates the harm that can be done when the government engages in the kind of behavior. The Government Accountability Office already warned about the illegality of these actions. The President of the United States is not an executive for a private company. They should not turn their apparatus into a propaganda machine for their own electoral gain.