Exit polls

Exit Polls Give Insight Into 2010's Big Shift Right

Marc Kilstein | November 19, 2010, 8:40AM

A woman voting

With November's elections behind us, exit polls can now help explain how exactly things played out at the polls. The American Enterprise Institute For Public Policy Research released their analysis of this year's House exit polls, and within it, a picture emerges of this election season's altered, right-leaning electorate.

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DSCC

Outside Groups Dominate Campaign Ad Spending In 2010 (CHARTS)

Brian Beutler | October 18, 2010, 10:04AM

Karl Rove

Anonymous outside interests have gone from being a relatively minor source of funding for campaign-season television ads to being the dominant player in 2010, according to figures compiled by the Sunlight Foundation.

A new (and effective) Democratic messaging strategy -- criticizing Republicans and their conservative backers for letting outside, anonymously funded groups run ads attacking candidates -- isn't an example of a party desperately looking for a new bogeyman. It's backed up by data, freely available from the Federal Elections Committee.

The sea change is largely the result of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, overturning a ban preventing pressure groups and corporations from running so-called independent expenditure ads for or against a candidate (these are distinct from issue ads, which only mention candidates vis-a-vis their policy positions). As a result of that shift, the official party committees and candidates face direct contribution limits and must disclose their funders. PACs have a bit more leeway -- they still face disclosure rules, but no donation limits and can make unlimited independent expenditures. Groups organized as non-profits, though, are unencumbered: they can take in as much money as they want, without having to disclose any of their donors.

The result has been extraordinary.

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NV-SEN

Nevada's GOP First Lady To TPM: I'm Backing Harry Reid Over Sharron Angle

Christina Bellantoni | June 11, 2010, 5:23PM

Dawn Gibbons

Nevada First Lady Dawn Gibbons, a Republican and soon-to-be-ex-wife of recently defeated Gov. Jim Gibbons, said in an interview she is supporting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's reelection bid because he is the better candidate on the economy. But she thinks Reid (D-NV) has quite a fight on his hands this fall.

Gibbons, a former state assembly member, has been up close and personal with Reid's Republican rival, Sharron Angle. They served together in the state legislature and were even opponents in a three-way GOP primary for the state's 2nd Congressional district seat in 2006.

"There's no question Sharron Angle is one of the toughest grassroots campaigners I've ever seen," Gibbons told TPM in a phone interview.

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