{"id":2359935,"date":"2024-10-26T10:53:58","date_gmt":"2024-10-26T14:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-enjoys-more-dark-money-support-than-trump-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-26T10:54:51","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T14:54:51","slug":"kamala-harris-enjoys-more-dark-money-support-than-trump-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-enjoys-more-dark-money-support-than-trump-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Kamala Harris enjoys more &#8216;dark money&#8217; support than Trump &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkamala-harris-enjoys-more-dark-money-support-than-trump-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2359935&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent analysis reveals\u2062 that Vice President Kamala Harris \u2064is receiving \u200dsignificantly more \u200dsupport from &#8220;dark money&#8221; groups compared to \u200dformer President Donald Trump in the\u200b lead-up to the\u2063 2024 elections. Reports indicate that Harris is backed by organizations that do\u200d not\u2064 disclose their donors at a rate eight\u2062 times greater than Trump&#8217;s support from similar organizations. This increase in funding stems largely from super PACs, which \u2063have\u200c benefitted \u2063from Supreme\u200b Court rulings allowing unlimited contributions.<\/p>\n<p>The prominent super PAC supporting Harris, Future Forward, has received substantial backing from wealthy donors, including Bill\u2062 Gates, who recently contributed $50 million through a nonprofit meant \u2062to remain undisclosed. Critics, \u2064including transparency advocates, express concern over \u2062the impact of undisclosed\u200b dark money on electoral integrity, arguing that it enables wealthy interests\u2062 to influence candidates without public accountability. Harris&#8217;s \u200ccampaign is also receiving significant financial support from various environmental and progressive groups.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Kamala Harris enjoys far more &lsquo;dark money&rsquo; support than Donald Trump<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1845504\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Democrats<\/a> have long criticized &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dark-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">dark money<\/a>&rdquo; in American <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">politics<\/a>, raising concerns over <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">billionaires anonymously exerting sizable influence<\/a> over elections.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Federal records, however, show groups that don&rsquo;t disclose their donors are supporting Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Kamala Harris\">Kamala Harris<\/a> in far greater numbers than former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Kamala Harris\">Donald Trump<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Harris, who has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3179215\/kamala-harris-influential-megadonors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">massive cash advantage<\/a> ahead of Election Day, is being boosted eight times more by dark money groups than Trump is, Federal Election Commission filings show. Organizations in this category include dozens of super PACs responsible for almost 90% of spending this election cycle on independent expenditures supporting targeting Trump or Harris, according to an <a href=\"https:\/\/readsludge.com\/2024\/10\/23\/harris-backed-by-9-6x-more-dark-money-than-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">analysis<\/a> by <em>Sludge<\/em>, a website tracking money in politics.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/2024-election-campaign-live-updates-harris-trump\/\"><strong>2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The public has a right to know who is trying to influence their votes and who is trying to curry favor with political candidates through large contributions to outside groups like super PACs and dark money groups,&rdquo; said Michael Beckel, the research director for a transparency watchdog group called Issue One. &ldquo;Wealthy special interests can use dark money contributions to help ingratiate themselves with their preferred candidate without any public scrutiny.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to boost candidates, often through disbursements on advertising. Following a flurry of Supreme Court decisions over the last several decades, super PACs have become a staple in American politics, breaking new barriers each election cycle to back candidates with hundreds of millions of dollars from their, in part, anonymous-backed war chests.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s because super PACs often receive large transfers from nonprofit organizations that are affiliated with them and registered under 501(c)(4), a section of the IRS code that allows &ldquo;social welfare&rdquo; groups to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-non-profit-rejected-for-tax-exempt-status-by-irs-bibles-teachings-affiliated-with-the-republican-party\/\" title=\"Christian Non-Profit Rejected For Tax-Exempt Status By IRS: \u2018Bible\u2019s Teachings \u2026 Affiliated With The Republican Party\u2019\">receive tax-exempt status<\/a> and not disclose their donors. In 2024, the biggest super PAC in politics is Future Forward, which is supporting Harris through ads, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3179215\/kamala-harris-influential-megadonors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">is bankrolled by the ultra-wealthy<\/a>, and has a tax-exempt arm registered in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p>Future Forward&rsquo;s nonprofit arm has shuffled over $130 million since 2018 to its super PAC affiliate, which counts some of its own donors as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3196838\/billionaires-anti-israel-network-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">philanthropist George Soros<\/a>, and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. However, funding that goes to Future Forward&rsquo;s nonprofit group is difficult, and often impossible, to fully trace due to a lack of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-enjoys-more-dark-money-support-than-trump\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris enjoys more &#039;dark money&#039; support than Trump -\">federal laws requiring disclosure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former President Donald Trump, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris, right. Harris, who has a massive cash advantage ahead of Election Day, is being boosted to the tune of eight times more by dark money groups, Federal Election Commission filings show. (AP News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That reality took a turn in one respect this week upon the <em>New York Times<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/22\/us\/elections\/bill-gates-future-forward-kamala-harris.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reporting<\/a> that Bill Gates privately steered $50 million to Future Forward&rsquo;s nonprofit arm. The leaked cash infusion to help Harris, the outlet said, &ldquo;will never appear on any public filing&rdquo; and &ldquo;was meant to stay under wraps.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I support candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving healthcare, reducing poverty, and fighting climate change in the U.S. and around the world,&rdquo; Gates told the outlet. &ldquo;I have a long history of working with leaders across the political spectrum, but this election is different, with unprecedented significance for Americans and the most vulnerable people around the world.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Harris, who is polling neck-and-neck with Trump, is also being boosted heavily by the League of Conservation Voters environmental group, the left-wing American Bridge 21st Century PAC, and other dark money groups, filings show. <\/p>\n<p>She has <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KamalaHarris\/status\/1102375748776673280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said<\/a> dark money is &ldquo;manipulating the election process,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KamalaHarris\/status\/1156759721078087681\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">declaring<\/a> previously, &ldquo;Trump has megadonors, huge corporations, and dark-money PACs willing to cut blank checks to buy him four more years in power. We have you.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>As far as Trump, the former president is being supported by super PACs that have raised around $23.2 million from dark money groups, <em>Sludge<\/em> found. <\/p>\n<p>Those include Building America&rsquo;s Future, Restoration of America, and others, the outlet said. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump, separately, is being boosted by a super PAC launched by X owner Elon Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3200814\/doj-warns-elon-musk-giveaway-illegal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">that faced scrutiny <\/a>this week from the Justice Department over its $1 million giveaway to registered voters. Musk said random voters who signed his super PAC&rsquo;s petition supporting the U.S. Constitution would be awarded the money.<\/p>\n<p>The Harris and Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1845504\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1845504\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kamala Harris receives significantly more &#8216;dark money&#8217; support than Donald Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2359936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Kamala-Harris-polls-turnout.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[27910,32438,3634],"class_list":["post-2359935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-dark-money","tag-kamala-harris","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Kamala-Harris-polls-turnout.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2359935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2359936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2359935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2359935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2359935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}