National candidates can take advantage of Alabama's campaign finance laws (al.com)

[eppur_se_muova]

Published: Monday, July 04, 2011, 7:00 AM
by Mary Orndorff -- The Birmingham News The Birmingham News

WASHINGTON -- Getting ready to run for president and feeling boxed in by strict federal campaign finance laws that cap donations to your political action committee? Welcome to Alabama, home of the end-run on such pesky limits.

As in years past, presidential hopefuls again can find friendly territory in Montgomery to open chapters of their national political action committees. They then are free to route donations through the state to pay the bills of the political operation leading up to the official campaign kickoff.

The only remaining contender for the Republican presidential nomination who has taken full advantage of Alabama's permissive campaign finance laws is Mitt Romney. He started the practice before his failed run in 2008 and, records show, never really stopped.

According to filings with the Alabama Secretary of State's Office, the Alabama version of Romney's PAC last year raised nearly half-a-million dollars, none of it from anyone in Alabama.
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The National Institute on Money in State Politics this spring analyzed the PACs of the 2012 presidential contenders and found that four potential or declared candidates raised at least $4.1 million through state-level committees in 2010 alone. Of that, $1.6 million was through Romney's PACs in Alabama, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The rest was through PACs set up by Mitch Daniels, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum, none of which had a state PAC in Alabama. Daniels opted not to run for the White House, but Pawlenty and Santorum are now candidates.
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more: http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2011/07/national_candidates_can_take_a.html




Not exactly LBN, but this slipped in under my radar ...

[CleanGreenFuture]

1. If Alabama can end-run Federal campaign finance rules, why can't CA do it for medical marijuana?