Michigan Campaign Finance Network

Statewide candidates spending at torrid pace

Candidates to be governor, secretary of state and attorney general are spending at more than twice the rate of their counterparts the last time those offices were open seats in 2002.

What Citizens United means for Michigan

Citizens United v. F.E.C. probably won't change much about the conduct of Michigan state election campaigns. But we still don't have the sort of disclosure the U.S. Supreme Court upheld for federal campaigns.

Why is beer tax off the table?

Tax on the the most heavily promoted recreational drug in Michigan doesn't cover the various costs the State has to absorb to clean up after the daily party. So why did legislative leaders declare beer tax to be off the table? Maybe $1.5 million in PAC contributions had something to do with it.

Supreme Court DQ Rule: A Glass Half Empty

The Michigan Supreme Court's new disqualification rule is a necessary first step to protect litigants' due process rights to an impartial court hearing. But that protection is limited and won't be very effective unless the legislature acts to bring transparency and accountability to all campaign advertising.

Recession dampens PAC fundraising

Michigan's economic slump continues its grip on Michigan's money-in-politics sector.