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I don't fault the Trump campaign for making every type of pitch imaginable to get me to contribute. I'm still a little irked at Melania, because she once failed to send me a calendar she promised, and I really believed she wanted me to have that calendar. But can anyone educate me on the concept of "matching funds" and how it really works? Ok, I figure that some rich donor or organization pledges to match every dollar raised during a certain period. But tonight I received an email stating there will be a "700% match"! How does this work? If...

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled Thursday that none of the challengers had legal standing to file the lawsuit. The plaintiffs included some of Obama’s political rivals, taxpayers and military personnel.

WASHINGTON - The Federal Election Commission approved on Friday the release of $74.7 million in federal money that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and running mate John Edwards will use until Election Day. The FEC has notified the Treasury Department, which will wire the cash to the campaign, the commission said. Because Kerry accepted public funding for the general election, he is prohibited from spending any other cash since he accepted his party's nomination at its Boston convention Thursday night. That puts Kerry at a monetary disadvantage to President Bush who also accepted public financing but has another month to...

In a clumsy attempt at fraud, a 72-year-old Miami-Dade County Commission candidate with a long list of political defeats nearly grabbed $50,000 in public campaign matching funds, police said. An investigator calls it an early sign that recently enacted campaign reforms are attracting new and creative methods of cheating taxpayers. ''It was very sloppily done, but it was an interesting idea as a way to make a $15,000 investment toward a $50,000 payoff,'' Miami-Dade Police Sgt. Felix Jimenez said. Juan Miguel Alfonso, who is running against Commissioner Bruno Barreiro in District 5, is accused of faking his campaign reports to...

Some Democratic strategists and fundraisers say Sen. John Kerry should seriously consider opting out of public funding in his bid to defeat President Bush this fall. They maintain that Kerry’s record fundraising efforts in the Democratic presidential primary show that the senator can reap more money through private contributions than through what the government would provide the campaign. Until now, it has been assumed that both Kerry and Bush would take the $75 million in public funds after they accept their respective nominations. But this places Kerry, who will be nominated five weeks prior to President Bush, at a significant...

WASHINGTON -- Ralph Nader's independent bid for the White House has qualified to receive matching government funds, the Federal Election Commission announced Friday. Campaign officials said Nader has raised more than $850,000 to date from 7,800 separate contributions. To receive matching funds, a candidate must raise at least $5,000 in 20 states in donations of $250 or less. The average contribution to the Nader campaign is $100, with 89 percent being $100 or less, the campaign said. The FEC matches all contributions of $250 or less up to $18.7 million. "The Nader Campaign is not dialing for corporate dollars, unlike...

 "Al's $100K payback" Al Sharpton political cartoon.  May 15, 2004...The Federal Election Committee has determined the $100,00 in matching funds given to Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton needs to be returned to the American taxpayers. Reason? Massive irregularities in Sharpton's campaign financing.The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) had filed formal complaints against Sharpton's campaign  with the FEC. NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm stated, "We are delighted that the FEC has acted to deny taxpayer money for Sharpton's presidential campaign. As we have documented, there exist massive irregularities in the financing of his campaign." Boehm added, "Al Sharpton is notorious...

Sharpton Must Return $100K in Matching Funds; NLPC Welcomes FEC Action To: National Desk Contact: Ken Boehm of the National Legal and Policy Center, 703-237-1970, Web: http://www.nlpc.org WASHINGTON, May 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) today welcomed yesterday's reported action by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) requiring Al Sharpton to return $100,000 that he has received in federal matching funds. NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm stated, "We are delighted that the FEC has acted to deny taxpayer money for Sharpton's presidential campaign. As we have documented, there exist massive irregularities in the financing of his...

<p>April 30, 2004 -- The Federal Election Commission yesterday said it will not give Rev. Al Sharpton any more matching funds for his campaign - and might try to recover the $100,000 he's already gotten. By a 6-0 vote, the agency decided not to send Sharpton's campaign an additional $79,000 that it had previously agreed to provide.</p>

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader raised about $600,000 in the two months since he announced his candidacy, enough money to qualify for federal matching funds and well ahead of the fund-raising pace he set four years ago, his campaign announced Wednesday. In papers filed with Federal Election Commission, Nader said roughly 60 percent of that amount had been donated over the Internet. To receive matching funds, a candidate must raise at least $5,000 in 20 states in donations of $250 or less. Nader has collected more than $5,000 from 23 different states. About 91 percent of his...

<p>WASHINGTON — Once written off as a Democratic presidential contender, John Kerry survived to become the front-runner thanks to a $6.4 million Christmas Eve loan he made to his campaign.</p> <p>"There are a limited number of ways he can pay off that loan, and it's a fair question to ask what he intends to do," says Larry Noble, director of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which studies money in politics.</p>

FEC Asked to Withhold Sharpton's Matching Funds 2/5/04 8:21:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Ken Boehm of the National Legal and Policy Center, 703-237-1970, http://www.nlpc.org WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) announced that it will file an amendment today to its Feb. 2 complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging additional violations of federal campaign law by Rev. Al Sharpton and others. The amendment will update the Feb. 2 complaint to reflect information contained in a February 3 Village Voice article by Wayne Barrett titled "Sleeping With the GOP: A...

Is the Rev. Al Sharpton working with Republicans to torpedo Democrat chances of locking up the black vote in this year's presidential election? That's just one of the questions raised by the Village Voice this week, in a bombshell report that details the curious relationship between GOP strategist Roger Stone and the civil rights leader-turned presidential hopeful. Describing Stone as "a longtime Republican dirty-tricks operative," the Voice said he is "financing, staffing, and orchestrating the presidential campaign of Reverend Al Sharpton." The paper says it has documented "an extraordinary array of connections" and calls Stone's role in the Sharpton...

JOHN EDWARDS UNLEASHED: BREAKS SPENDING RULES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE In applying for federal matching funds to help finance his campaign, Dem presidential hopeful John Edwards pledged to adhere to "spending caps" in a letter to the FEC. "As a candidate seeking to become eligible to receive Presidential primary matching funds, I agree to the following provisions [including]... I and/or my authorized committee(s) certify that we have not incurred and will not incur qualified campaign expenditures in connection with my campaign for nomination in excess of the expenditure limitations prescribed by [the FEC]." http://www.fec.gov/finance/2004matching/edwards_docs_001.pdfBut through January 20, 2004, the DRUDGE REPORT...

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX FRI JAN 23, 2004 07:09:32 ET XXXXX JOHN EDWARDS UNLEASHED: BREAKS SPENDING RULES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE In applying for federal matching funds to help finance his campaign, Dem presidential hopeful John Edwards pledged to adhere to "spending caps" in a letter to the FEC. "As a candidate seeking to become eligible to receive Presidential primary matching funds, I agree to the following provisions [including]... I and/or my authorized committee(s) certify that we have not incurred and will not incur qualified campaign expenditures in connection with my campaign for nomination in excess of the expenditure limitations prescribed...

He may be leading in Iowa's presidential polls now - but months of disappointing performances have left Sen. John Kerry's campaign coffers so depleted he's now preparing to sell off the Heinz-Kerry family art treasures. "Watch for the Renoir strategy from the Kerry campaign," Newsweek's Howard Fineman told NBC's "Chris Matthews Show" on Sunday. "They're going to mortgage all their fancy paintings in the Kerry-Heinz household up in Massachusetts to raise money for the rest of this campaign," Fineman said. Kerry has already lent his campaign $6.4 million based on a mortgage of his share of the Heinz-Kerry home in...

WASHINGTON -- The government will give six presidential candidates $15.4 million combined in federal matching funds on Friday, less than half of the amount it divided among presidential candidates during the same period in 2000. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark will get $3.7 million, the largest amount. That's followed by $3.6 million for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, $3.4 million for North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and $3.1 million for Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt. Perennial presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche will get $839,000 and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich will get $736,000. Taxpayers pay for the program by checking a box on their income-tax...

The Federal Election Commission is set to dole out funds to five major Democratic presidential wanna-bes today, but the Rev. Al Sharpton isn't one of them - even though he says he's entitled. Sharpton said on New Year's Eve that, despite sluggish fund-raising so far in the Democratic primary, he had finally reached the threshold to qualify for the federal matching funds handed out by the FEC. "I'm saying this the first time, we're filing ... ," Sharpton said on CNN's "Inside Politics." "We have now been able to reach matching funds. I will be qualified for matching funds where...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Retired Gen. Wesley Clark will receive $3.7 million in taxpayer matching funds for his presidential primary campaign, a sum that surpasses veteran campaigners and increases the chances that the latecomer may still emerge as an alternative to the front-running Howard Dean.</p>

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Election Commission has declared Rep. Dennis Kucinich qualified to receive federal matching funds, making the Ohio congressman eligible for up to $18.6 million, the FEC said Wednesday. Candidates must meet FEC requirements to qualify, including raising a threshold amount of $100,000 by collecting $5,000 in 20 different states in amounts no greater than $250 from any individual. They also must agree to an overall spending limit, abide by spending limits in each state, use public funds only for legitimate campaign-related expenses, keep financial records, and permit an extensive campaign audit. The FEC said in a statement...