The Center for Media and Democracy and its ALEC Exposed project have published hundreds of bills promoted at ALEC meetings and introduced in state legislatures. Lisa Graves, president of the board of CMD and president of True North Research, described how ALEC operates in an article published this year, which focused in part on ALEC’s […]
Research Cited
Rightwing group behind regressive US state laws to face protest at DC gala
Membership dues from legislators, on the other hand, account for less than 1% of Alec’s annual revenues, according to tax filings uncovered by the Centre for Media and Democracy (CMD). The second-largest known donor to Alec is Charles Koch, whose foundations gave the organization just over $2m between 2017 and 2021, CMD found.
ALEC Gala to Face Protest From Pro-Democracy Groups
Because of the way it encourages representatives of private interests to collaborate on legislation as equals with public officials, ALEC is often described by its critics as a “corporate bill mill.” ALEC’s press materials have promoted the fact that both state lawmakers and business people have “a voice and a vote in shaping policy,” according […]
Kentucky governor candidate Daniel Cameron took millions from GOP pay-to-play organization
The nonpartisan Center for Media and Democracy has been highly critical of RAGA and its dark money affiliate, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, accusingthem of operating a “pay-to-play operation.” Corporations and other monied interests give the group millions of dollars to both bankroll and buy access to Republicans running for and serving as state […]
Dark money: The backstory of Alabama’s redistricting defiance
Attorney General Marshall also has connections to Leo through the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and its affiliated Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF), where Marshall has been a director since 2020. Leo’s groups are the largest known funder of RAGA since its launch as a separate 527 group in 2014, as The Center on […]
‘He’s an insider’: Ramaswamy’s deep ties to rightwing kingpins revealed
Ramaswamy has also spoken to and received an award from the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF), a group of Republican state treasurers.
RAGA brass back a challenger to one of their own
Leo’s Concord Fund has been the biggest donor by far to the PAC supporting Scharf, who has worked with Leo’s network in the past, giving $500,000 in March. Concord Fund in the last few years has also been the largest donor to RAGA, according to the Center for Media and Democracy.
Wisconsin secretary of state on lawsuit: I don’t have any records
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, or WILL, and IRG are considered far right organizations. WILL acted as legal representation for a group of students accused of bullying a transgender student in Kiel, Wisconsin last year — a saga that shook the small town and gained national attention. IRG is a member of the State […]
Corporate-crafted bills no good for Delaware
Though the group keeps its well-heeled funders and corporate supporters a secret, reporting by The Center for Media and Democracy has revealed that wealthy right-wing mega-donors like The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation, DonorsTrust, The Searle Freedom Trust and the Charles Koch Foundation are the top funders of ALEC. Its many corporate members include UPS, […]
A New Constitutional Convention Would Be the Death of Progress
A recent study by the Center for Media and Democracy found that, under existing state laws, 29 of the 50 state delegations to a convention would be selected exclusively by Republicans. Nineteen would be chosen by Democrats, with only two states having split delegations. Half a century ago, significant numbers of Republicans held progressive views […]