Korva is a scroll of the internet’s best ideas.
Trump allies spent $277 million
In recent days, Trump-tied super PACs have drastically upped their spending on Facebook and Instagram ads in a major push to get out the vote.
Trump and his allies have far more money on hand than Democrats. Part of the reason is that Trump never let up on fundraising, even as he took office for a second time. His aides have been soliciting huge checks at dinners and events that offer donors access to the president.
How can super PACs raise unlimited money?
In 2010, a federal appeals court in SpeechNow.org v. FEC and the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC ruled that limits on independent political spending violate the First Amendment. Together the rulings allowed groups that spend independently of candidates to accept unlimited contributions, and those groups became known as super PACs. They are barred from coordinating directly with candidate campaigns. They must report their donors to the Federal Election Commission.
Why do campaigns buy Facebook and Instagram ads?
Meta's advertising system lets buyers aim ads by location, age, and audiences built from their own voter lists, so a get-out-the-vote message can reach people in a single congressional district. Campaigns can also see which ads draw clicks and shift money toward those. Meta requires political advertisers to complete an authorization process and to carry disclaimers naming who paid for the ad. The company keeps a public Ad Library where those ads can be searched.
Why does turnout drive midterm spending?
Midterm elections draw far fewer voters than presidential ones, so persuading people to show up can swing results. According to the U.S. Elections Project, turnout among eligible voters was about 50 percent in 2018, the highest for a midterm in more than a century. By the same measure, turnout in the 2020 presidential election was about 66 percent.