Winning Our Future, the pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC, released a seven minute long documentary attacking Mitt Romney for profiting from a health care company, Damon Corporation, that engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare of huge sums of money. The super PAC doesn't blunt their attacks: the web site for the film is MittsBloodMoney.com.
Mitt Romney's super PAC is already moving on to the other states beyond Florida. The group announced spending yesterday in Nevada and today reported spending more than $100,000 in both Michigan and Arizona.
Elizabeth Drew has a must-read story in the New York Review of Books about our age of super PACs.
Romney and super PAC practice Vulcan mind-meld. [USAT]
Gingrich fundraising expenses raise ethics questions. [Roll Call]
Rick Hasen says: "The issue I will be watching: how many of [the super PACs] will be reporting contributions from (affiliated) 501(c)(4) organizations, which don't have to report their donors publicly." HuffPost Fundrace will be watching this as well.
One of the lesser known super PACs, the pro-Ron Paul Santa Rita Super PAC, reported its donors today. Luke Roziak has the details, "The family of Mark Hart III, a financier who earned millions of dollars betting on Europe’s debt, gave $100,000 in one day last month. He has also urged investors to buy gold to provide security in turbulent financial times, according to a profile in British publication The Week, as well as made money by anticipating the housing bubble." [WashTimes]
The Obama campaign is returning $2,250 in campaign contributions it received from registered lobbyists. The campaign has a policy, that also applies to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), of refusing contributions from registered lobbyists. [The Hill]
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 paulblumenthal@huffingtonpost.com.
Committee: Winning Our Future
Candidate opposed: Mitt Romney
Spot: "Blood Money" - The pro-Gingrich super PAC releases it's second anti-Romney documentary. This one states that Romney profited from the sale of a medical company, Damon Corporation, that, under the watch of Bain Capital, defrauded Medicare for millions of dollars.
Link: [http://youtu.be/jVUQuJDEs04]
Market: Florida.
Buy: Undisclosed.
Committee: Newt Gingrich for President
Candidate opposed: Mitt Romney
Spot: "What Kind Of Man" - This brutal ad begins with a clip of Mike Huckabee saying, "If a man's dishonest to get a job, he'll be dishonest on the job," before launching into an attack on Romney as a liar. The ad hits Romney for lying about never voting for a Democrat and for never seeing an ad made by his super PAC.
Link: [http://youtu.be/pSkLw6UvpaM]
Market: Florida.
Buy: Undisclosed.
Committee: Presente Action
Candidate opposed: Marco Rubio
Spot: "No Somos Rubios" - This ad targets potential vice presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio as standing in opposition to the vast majority of Latinos who support the DREAM Act, a path to citizenship for undocumented Americans, and oppose Arizona's SB1070 law.
Link: [http://youtu.be/53R8rgTsCrE]
Market: Florida.
Buy: Undisclosed.
Committee: American Bridge 21st Century
Candidate opposed: Josh Mandel
Spot: "Josh Mandel: The AWOL Watchdog" - This video hits Republican Senate candidate and Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel for failing to attend any of the important meetings that determine which banks will hold onto Ohio state deposits. The video ends with a shot of Mandel exiting a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. on a day when one of these meetings took place.
Link: [http://youtu.be/Yu9DFA7d2Dg]
Market: YouTube.
Buy: None. Just a web video.
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), $2,640,085 to support, $16,279,249 to oppose. (+$515,811)
Mitt Romney (R), $1,474,217 to support, $4,393,987 to oppose.
Rick Perry (R), $3,964,824 to support, $0 to oppose.
Ron Paul (R), $3,458,902 to support, $165,339 to oppose.
Jon Huntsman (R), $2,453,204 to support, $0 to oppose.
Rick Santorum (R), $1,810,519 to support, $444,355 to oppose.
Barack Obama (D), $25,122 to support, $630,124 to oppose. (+$1,125)
Herman Cain (R), $486,717 to support, $0 to oppose.
Gary Johnson (R), $518 to support, $0 to oppose.
RECENT INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
Restore Our Future, $227,248 to oppose Newt Gingrich for President in Florida.
Restore Our Future, $168,608 to oppose Newt Gingrich for President in Michigan.
Restore Our Future, $120,025 to oppose Newt Gingrich for President in Arizona.
House Majority PAC, $208,664 to oppose Tom Latham for Congress in Iowa's Third District.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $17,000 to support Suzanne Bonamici for Congress in Oregon's Third District.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $17,000 to oppose Rob Cornilles for Congress in Oregon's Third District.
Campaign for Working Families, $1,125 to support Barack Obama for President.
RECENT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS
New Yorkers For Affordable Housing, Floral Park, N.Y., Treasurer: Sol Arker.
Nemeth Family Super PAC, Philippi, W.V., Treasurer: Benjamin Nemeth.
Send tips, hints, submissions, rumors to HuffPost Fundrace at paulblumenthal@huffingtonpost.com.