"Election season" or not, advertising spending in Michigan has increased explosively in the runup to in-person voting. And it’s not because Michiganders are generously contributing to their preferred candidates. Outside groups and dark money organizations are outspending campaigns two-to-one. read more

posted on 10/21/2020

Talking points and footage left available by campaigns turns making political ads into paint-by-numbers for dark money groups. read more

posted on 10/16/2020

More than $50 million from more than 40 outside groups paired with record spending on advertising is driving the race for U.S. Senate to be the most expensive Michigan has seen. read more

posted on 10/01/2020

Spending records are already being shattered in the 2020 election with more than a month to the election, and a super PAC has emerged to support Democrats in key state house races. read more

posted on 09/25/2020

While lobbyists' overall spending on food for state officials is less than half of what it was last year, the expensive meals that require disclosure are only down slightly. read more

posted on 09/16/2020

This fall, Michigan Campaign Finance Network ans MLive are partnering to follow the money behind campaign mail around the state read more

posted on 09/14/2020

Since the presidential primary in March, Michigan has seen an unprecedented blitz of traditional political advertising across. Far more is on the way. read more

posted on 08/31/2020

Progressives are taking a cue from conservatives and founding ‘news’ sites like Courier Newsroom, which spends big money on election-year social media ads to benefit Democratic in swing districts such as U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly). read more

posted on 08/31/2020

The finances that matter in tonight's House Primary, shown in three infographics. read more

posted on 08/04/2020

The Committee To Recall Governor Gretchen Whitmer has withdrawn its ballot language and organizers have left with complaints its founder misspent committee money. read more

posted on 08/03/2020

New disclosures reveal how the shutdown dropped donations to legislators. But people didn’t stop giving to candidates. Special interests did. read more

posted on 07/31/2020

Despite a smaller presence in Lansing compared with other unions, since 2010 organizations representing law enforcement have given to 112 of the 147 legislators currently in office. read more

posted on 07/06/2020

An array of out-of-state nonprofits, funded by some of the same organizations that capitalized on the Tea Party movement, are creating an ecosystem of alternative media online, delivering political reporting, grassroots organizing, advocacy and even satire to Michiganders through Facebook. Now they're harnessing resentment toward the state's stay-at-home order. read more

posted on 05/15/2020

A single liberal super PAC, Priorities USA Action, is spending $17.3 million to run ads every week until the general election. read more

posted on 05/10/2020

This is the Michigan Campaign Finance Network's (MCFN) 990 filing for 2015. It includes information on MCFN's finances. read more

posted on 09/13/2019

This is the Michigan Campaign Finance Network's (MCFN) 990 filing for 2016. It includes information on MCFN's finances. read more

posted on 09/13/2019

This is the Michigan Campaign Finance Network's (MCFN) 990 filing for 2017. It includes information on MCFN's finances. read more

posted on 09/13/2019

This is a list of how much money lobbyists and organizations reported spending on food and drink purchases for individual state officeholders from Jan. 1, 2019, through July 31, 2019. The numbers are based on disclosures filed with the Michigan Secretary of State by the lobbyists and organizations. read more

posted on 09/11/2019