HUFFPOST FUNDRACE - Happy Birthday Citizens United!

Citizens United turns two years old tomorrow. The Supreme Court decision has released a flood of independent spending into elections and has created a new era in primary elections where each candidate is bolstered by their own ancillary, quasi-independent super PAC that operates as a party committee can act in a general election.

The latest example of this comes in South Carolina where the woefully underfunded Newt Gingrich is running neck-and-neck with the Mitt Romney machine ahead of Saturday's primary vote. That isn't just due to his debate performances. Two super PACs have come to his aid and dumped $3 million into the state for advertisements, mailings, and other activity in opposition to Mitt Romney. This cut the spending disparity between Gingrich and Romney dramatically. In Iowa there was only $79,000 in anti-Romney spending. Anti-Romney spending tops $3 million in South Carolina. [HuffPost]

And now for an entire Fundrace devoted to links about Citizens United:

Peter Overby looks at the protests spawning amidst super PAC spending. [NPR]

Citizens United is a wake-up moment. [Good]

United Republic's Nick Penniman and Josh Silver ask why there are so few debate questions about money in politics. [HuffPost]

MoveOn.org's Ilyse Hogue asks whether Citizens United will unite citizens. [Nation]

From the Twitter: @NancyPelosi As @StephenAtHome has shown, 2 yrs of #CitizensUnited has undermined our democracy-we need clean campaigns

State lawmakers in Maryland and congressmen Chris Van Hollen and John Sarbanes called for a constitutional amendment in an Annapolis rally. [Gazette]

Brad Smith of the Center for Competitive Politics laughs at Citizens United opponents. [CCP]

The Sunlight Foundation cuts a movie. [Sunlight]

Mark Schmidt calls the constitutional amendment movement a distraction from public financing efforts. [TNR]

Kevin Drum calls the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's efforts to organize around a constitutional amendment an excellent fundraising strategy and nothing more. [MoJo]

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Robert Weissman tout the constitutional amendment movement. [HuffPost]

A lesson from the Progressive Era on amending the constitution in response to a Supreme Court decision. [HuffPost]

Public Campaign Action Fund pressures President Barack Obama to support a constitutional amendment. [PCAF]

And there's HuffPost's five-part series on Stephen Colbert and how he explains campaign finance to America. The final installment came out today. Read them all here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

CAMPAIGN VIDEOS

Help us populate our list of campaign videos. Send any notable TV, radio or web ads that you see to Fundrace. Send your submissions to [e-mail].

Committee: Newt Gingrich for President
Spot: "Decision Time In South Carolina" -- This Gingrich ad says that only Newt Gingrich can debate President Obama, the liberal media, and run against Obama, and win.
Link: [http://youtu.be/x7qF2l5cnEM]
Market: Unknown.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Democratic National Committee
Candidate opposed: Mitt Romney
Spot: "Maybe" -- The Democrats hit Mitt Romney for his answer in last night's debate to a question about whether he would follow his father's example and release 12 years of his tax returns. Romney's answer, "Maybe."
Link: [http://youtu.be/GBLtc1vmN7I]
Market: YouTube.
Buy: None. Just a web video.

Committee: Newt Gingrich for President
Spot: "Jim Garlow Endorses Newt" -- A pastor and organizer for Prop. 8 in California endorses Newt Gingrich and explains the importance of forgiveness for sin. Garlow also compares the culture war to World War II and the Nazis.
Link: [http://youtu.be/VgL6qJMK0YA]
Market: YouTube.
Buy: None. Just a web video.

Committee: AFSCME
Candidate opposed: Mitt Romney
Spot: "Greed" -- The public employee labor union launches this ad against Mitt Romney in Florida. The ad takes issue with the actions of the Damon Corporation when it was owned by Bain Capital, then headed by Romney. Damon Corporation is said to have defrauded Medicare for millions of dollars while under the control of Bain. The ad ends by morphing Romney's face into that of Gov. Rick Scott, who paid huge fines for defrauding Medicare while running a private hospital business.
Link: [http://youtu.be/hkGrgxw7sSo]
Market: Florida.
Buy: ~$800,000.

TRACKING INDEPENDENT SPENDING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:

These numbers represent spending by independent groups, like super PACs and non-profits, to support or oppose a particular candidate for the presidency in 2012. Fundrace will update this spending daily to help show which candidates are gaining from the proliferation of independent groups in this coming election.

Newt Gingrich (R), $996,282 to support, $10,353,519 to oppose.
Mitt Romney (R), $1,247,010 to support, $3,327,929 to oppose. (+$186,010)
Rick Perry (R), $3,964,824 to support, $0 to oppose.
Ron Paul (R), $3,250,831 to support, $165,339 to oppose. (+$71,292)
Jon Huntsman (R), $2,453,204 to support, $0 to oppose.
Rick Santorum (R), $1,810,519 to support, $444,355 to oppose. (+$93,385)
Barack Obama (D), $18,517 to support, $611,797 to oppose.
Herman Cain (R), $486,717 to support, $0 to oppose.
Gary Johnson (R), $518 to support, $0 to oppose.

RECENT INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES

Winning Our Future, $186,010 to oppose Mitt Romney for President in South Carolina.
Senate Conservatives Fund, $500,736 to support Ted Cruz for Senate in Texas.
Endorse Liberty, $37,209 to support Ron Paul for President.
FreedomWorks, $11,035 to oppose Orrin Hatch for Senate in Utah.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $5,000 to oppose Rob Cornilles for Congress in Oregon's First District.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $5,000 to support Suzanne Bonamici for Congress in Oregon's First District.
Red White And Blue Fund, $93,385 to support Rick Santorum for President in South Carolina.
Endorse Liberty, $34,083 to support Ron Paul for President.
House Majority PAC, $297,661 to oppose Rob Cornilles for Congress in Oregon's First District.

RECENT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS

CI VI TAS, Salt Lake City, Utah, Treasurer: Thomas Panuzio. (Super PAC)
Hispanic Vote PAC, Washington, D.C., Treasurer: Dennis Garcia. (Super PAC)
Research Extension Education and Agriculture Leadership PAC, Washington, D.C., Treasurer: James Richards.

Send tips, hints, submissions, rumors to HuffPost Fundrace at [e-mail].

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Rose Vassey]

12:30 PM on 01/21/2012

Today in History, January 21st, 1997: The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to reprimand you, The House Speaker( Newt Gingrich) and ordered you to pay an unprecedented $300,000 penalty. This was the first, and only time in the House's 208-year history it has disciplined a speaker for ethical wrongdoing. Thus causing you to step down, from being the House Speaker, in shame and dishonor. Why should the voters trust you now when your own party declared you untrustworthy?

[Scurvydog74]

10:39 AM on 01/21/2012

So if the conservatives have spent the last 30 years destroying our political system, culminating in outright government for sale to the richest corporations, why do we keep putting them in control? Even when they are the opposition party they call the shots.

[porthaul]

07:01 AM on 01/21/2012

Newt has certainly taken advantage of CU by paying millions to that *evil media* so that his attack ads air on TV.

[JustTheFacts4Me]

04:15 AM on 01/21/2012

What about Americans for a better tomorrow, tomorrow SuperPac? Stephen Colbert's former SuperPac is spending against Mitt, For Herman Cain and even against himself in South Carolina. The fact that all news shows have been replaying his commercials non-stop has gotten him even more publicity. He is at the forefront of the criticism of the Citizens United Ruling by having so much fun using his SuoerPac for ridiculous ads. He's making the point better than anyone.

[ttsgw]

04:13 AM on 01/21/2012

Political corruption is now an accepted part of American law making. To the benefit of US corporations and detriment of US citizens, at least 99% of them.

[idisVA]

11:51 PM on 01/20/2012

The John Roberts Court will live in infamy because of Citizens United which is the worst decision of the Court since Dred Scott.