Ian Vandewalker
@ianvan.bsky.social
Policy advocacy and research on money in politics and disinformation. Senior Counsel & Manager, Brennan Center.
Ballot measures on direct democracy and data centers. Heated congressional primaries. Socialist challenges to state lawmakers. Conservative challenges to lawmakers who opposed redistricting. Buckle up for a busy Election Day tomorrow. 🗓️
110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts
A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More
boltsmag.org
As the midterm congressional elections heat up, the richest political committee in the US is, of course … the super PAC controlled by a president who’s not on the ballot and is constitutionally barred from ever running again.
NEW: Freedom 250 LLC doesn’t have to disclose what its corporate sponsors paid. But new lobbying filings reveal millions given by major corporate backers. readsludge.com/2026/07/31/l...
Lobbying Filings Reveal What Companies Paid for Trump's Freedom 250
Freedom 250 isn't required to disclose what its corporate sponsors paid, but new lobbying filings reveal the first documented contribution amounts for some of its biggest backers.
readsludge.com
I'll be on Texas Public Radio soon discussing dark money in elections... www.tpr.org/podcast/the-...
Dark money becomes a formidable force in American elections
What's known as "dark money" in U.S. elections reached a record-shattering $1.9 billion in recent federal election cycles, nearly doubling the previous record. This surge traces back to the Supreme Co...
tpr.org
In an important decision, Arizona’s supreme court ruled that corporate campaign contributions are not protected speech under the state constitution — a departure from the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. Learn more by subscribing to State Court Report’s free newsletter: bit.ly/45IXZ0M
While grocery prices are rising, 1.5 million kids have lost food assistance benefits since Republicans passed their budget law. Hungry kids are more likely to get lower test scores & repeat grades. New from us & @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: That's just the start of parents' budgeting woes.
The Brennan Center, @aaaj-aajc.bsky.social, FIRM, and Unidos have prepared a know your rights guide to protect your vote at the polls. Learn more about how you can prepare and what you and your community can do if armed federal agents are unlawfully at the polls during the midterm elections.
Vote Safely in 2026
Sending troops or ICE officers to the polls is illegal. Here’s how you can protect your vote and your community’s voice, even if federal agents unlawfully show up.
brennancenter.org
Americans are working more, but losing control over their time. Unlike peer countries, the US has failed to pair a two-income economy with the policies that make that model sustainable, namely affordable child and elder care and serious workplace protections around scheduling.
The 50 top megadonors have given $1.6 BILLION to influence the midterm elections so far. They mostly represent the finance & tech industries (venture capital, AI, crypto, gambling), and many oppose consumer-protection regulations that impact their profits. www.washingtonpost.com/elections/in...
Meet the megadonors pouring more than $1.6 billion into the 2026 elections
Billionaires and newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk make up the top individual donors.
washingtonpost.com
These resources review federal and state laws and regulations that may help election officials, their attorneys, and others who support them to appropriately prepare for and respond to election interference. www.brennancenter.org/series/state...
State Election Law Interference Handbooks
The Brennan Center has created resources to help local officials protect election integrity.
brennancenter.org
New disclosures show Konstantin Sokolov gave MAGA Inc. another $1 million (for a total of $12 million) weeks before the State Dept confirmed he's leading a fund to be spent in Armenia, where Sokolov has investments. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Trump ballroom donor to lead state department’s $200m Armenia fund
Konstantin Sokolov, who gave undisclosed sum and has not held government job before, to chair Tripp+ trade project
theguardian.com
BREAKING: In NRSC v. FEC, the Roberts Court again strikes down campaign finance limits, continuing its 16-year drive to dismantle anticorruption guardrails under a radically wrong interpretation of the First Amendment.
Musk says not a single person has died due to him axing USAID. Sadly, part of my job involves tracking aid spending. So here’s a thread with just some of the people who lost their lives because of USAID cuts
Campaign finance disclosure rules were set decades ago and then torn up by Citizens United, leading to $1.9B in dark money in 2024. Meanwhile, inflation and the internet have changed how the rules affect small donors. It's time for an update. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
A Better Balance for Campaign Finance Disclosure
Transparency about the sources of political spending is a key tool in the fight against corruption.
brennancenter.org
In case you haven't heard, some people are lying about fraud in elections. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Watch Out for False Voter Fraud Claims Fueled by SAVE Program
The federal government’s SAVE tool is prone to error, and its misuse risks disenfranchising Americans and eroding trust in elections.
brennancenter.org
Corporate sponsorships and the fight for political influence... www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/06...
Political spending rules the octagon at White House UFC event - OpenSecrets News
UFC Freedom 250 is backed by companies and executives with deep political footprints who have spent millions on political influence.
opensecrets.org
Check out the newest roundup of money in politics stories from the Brennan Center: dark money, Texas senate race, presidential profiteering, and more! www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Money in Politics Roundup — May 2026
As midterm races heat up, we review major developments in campaign finance, from dark money loopholes to new levels of entanglement between Trump’s business and his presidency.
brennancenter.org
New from me @notus.com: The DOJ has cancelled biannual election-crimes classes for investigators. It deleted the manual that explains how to avoid tampering with votes. And it isn't prepping for the usual Election Day command center at FBI hq. www.notus.org/2026-electio...
The Justice Department Hasn’t Taken Its Usual Steps to Protect the 2026 Election
The DOJ appears to be quietly scrapping its typical “command center” that would monitor Election Day emergencies.
notus.org
Campaign finance disclosure rules were set decades ago and then torn up by Citizens United, leading to $1.9B in dark money in 2024. Meanwhile, inflation and the internet have changed how the rules affect small donors. It's time for an update. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
A Better Balance for Campaign Finance Disclosure
Transparency about the sources of political spending is a key tool in the fight against corruption.
brennancenter.org
Ballroom donors won $50B in contracts after giving to Trump project, watchdog group finds www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Ballroom donors won $50B in contracts after giving to Trump project, watchdog group finds
President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the gifts as a boon to taxpayers, but critics of the project say the administration’s refusal to release a full list of donors creates the potential for co...
washingtonpost.com
More than 6,300 children have been detained by ICE during President Trump's 2nd term. 97% have no criminal records.
Children "held like criminals" inside ICE detention center
More than 6,300 children under 18 – almost all with no criminal record – have been detained by federal immigration authorities during President Trump's second term, with nearly half held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.
cbsn.ws
More than 9 in 10 voters (92 percent) — including supermajorities of Republicans (90 percent), Democrats (93 percent), and independents (93 percent) — believe corruption is a big problem in politics and government. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
brennancenter.org
1. One of the clearest examples of pay-to-play politics you will ever see in last night's MAGA Inc. FEC filing.
“We are so far behind in this outbreak,” a current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employee tells @wired.com. “This is a perfect storm.” new from me and @knibbs.bsky.social on how aid cuts from last year are already fueling the sudden ebola outbreak:
‘Perfect Storm’: How Trump's Aid Cuts Are Fueling the Ebola Outbreak
One health provider who works on the ground says that basic medical equipment like masks and hand sanitizers are in short supply due to funding cuts.
wired.com
“.. On Tuesday, Dr. Makary resigned, telling associates he could not in good conscience remain the head of an agency that backed such a policy.” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...
