Luke Rosiak

Door-to-door ground game walks fine line

Conservative nonprofit groups have spent tens of millions of dollars on overtly political advertising this election season, testing the limits of what is legal under campaign rules that restrict how much such groups can spend on advocacy. Published October 15, 2012

Democrats claim lead in battleground voter registration

Led by a surge in Hispanic voters, President Obama's campaign said Thursday that Democrats are leading the party registration fight in nearly every battleground state this fall as campaign officials try to combat disillusionment among Democrats after last week's presidential debate. Published October 11, 2012

Among donors, a few ZIP codes put extra zip in campaign coffers

For Democrats, much of the money to fund the big-ticket national races this year is coming from donors in Hollywood and Chicago, while Republicans are relying — to a lesser extent — on cash from supporters in greater Houston and Fairfield, Conn., a geographical analysis of campaign contributions shows. Published October 10, 2012

Super PACs’ role in race falls short of expectations

The blistering super-PAC war during the Republicans' presidential primaries seemed to presage a long, nasty fight all the way through Election Day. Published October 9, 2012

Court dismisses RNC’s contribution-ceiling challenge

The Republican National Committee (RNC) was dealt a blow as a federal court on Friday denied a major donor's request to revist rules that limit the total amount donors can give to federal politicians. Published October 2, 2012

Politics stifle federal election agency

The Federal Election Commission wasn't always so dysfunctional. Published October 1, 2012

Contrarian donors sail against prevailing political wind

It's lonely being a supporter of President Obama in Provo, Utah. In the past several months, locals have given $550,000 to the two presidential campaigns, but only $29,000 — 5.3 percent — has gone to the Democrat. Published September 27, 2012

Cash-rich GOP super PACs flood blue states with ads

More than 8 in 10 Philadelphians voted for President Obama in 2008, and he bested Republican Sen. John McCain by comfortable margins in every county surrounding it. But to watch local television now, one would think the fifth-largest city in the nation was a Republican stronghold. Published September 24, 2012

Flurry of Romney ad buys targets D.C.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has made a slew of major ad purchases in the Washington market — a spurt of activity for a campaign that trails badly in the advertising wars, and one that will reach not only voters in the swing state of Virginia but also potentially help shape the national political and media impressions of the race. Published September 24, 2012

Obama again far outraising, outspending Romney

President Obama's campaign raised more than double what Republican nominee Mitt Romney did in August, with Mr. Romney's haul from small donors its smallest in three months and the former Massachusetts governor relying on a $2,500 maxed-out donors for two-thirds of his funds, filings showed Thursday. Published September 20, 2012

Donors to nonprofit campaign groups can remain secret

With the presidential campaign now entering in its final phase, a federal appeals court Tuesday overturned a ruling that had discouraged secret-money outside groups from running advertisements during that critical time. Published September 18, 2012

Toothless, overwhelmed FEC is ignored by campaigns

This year's political campaigns are saturated with money, yet the Federal Election Commission, the watchdog on all the raising and spending, is issuing fewer warnings and completing fewer audits — and even when it does issue fines, political committees routinely don't bother to pay. Published September 17, 2012

Not all Obama bundlers are on his public list

President Obama's campaign has left off its public list of "bundlers" at least 25 names its own finance team considers to be among their most valuable funders, including seven who live in foreign countries, a Washington Times review of records found. Published September 13, 2012

Political-ad tsunami swamps southeast Virginia

Hampton Roads, the military-laden community on Virginia's southeastern shoreline, is drowning in advertising. Published September 11, 2012

AFSCME joins ad-spending fray in Senate races

A public-employees union made three massive advertising buys Tuesday, suddenly transforming a relatively quiet labor group into a major player in critical Senate races — as well as the presidential election. Published September 6, 2012

Democratic National Convention 2012: Democrats favor Kardashians, while Republicans bet on NASCAR TV

President Obama is counting on Kim Kardashian to help get his voters to the polls this fall, while Mitt Romney is betting heavily on Drew Carey and his audience on "The Price Is Right." Published September 5, 2012

In pursuit of coveted independents, campaign ads invade local TV news

They were once an oasis immune to political advertising, but the commercial breaks during local newscasts have now become the most sought-after slots for campaigns' ads after they discovered the programs are a gold mine of independent-minded viewers. Published September 2, 2012