Sep. 22, 2010 - The DISCLOSE Act will most likely be brought to the Senate floor for a second time on Thursday, Sept. 23. The previous attempt failed to draw any Republican votes, which it would have needed to thwart a filibuster. The act would bring in a host of new rules and regulations surrounding the disclosure of campaign finances.
All sorts of interest groups oppose the DISCLOSE Act (see the bill page for a list complied by researchers at MAPLight.org). Combined, these groups have contributed roughly $68 million over a six-year period (June 4, 2004 – June 3, 2010) to senators currently in office.
Below is a breakdown of the averages given to members of each party, and the three most likely Republican targets to vote to allow cloture and bring the bill to a floor vote. At least one Republican vote will be needed to get the bill to a final vote.
Average contributions (see methodology below) from opposing groups to:
- All senators: $699,932
- Democrats (includes independents who caucus with Democrats): $610,985
- Republicans: $826,680
- Scott Brown (R-Mass.) - $420,340
- Susan Collins (R-Maine) - $882,100
- Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) - $341,789
Bill information provided by www.govtrack.us. Averages and totals do not include Sen. Kaufman (D-DE), Goodwin (D-WV) or Lemieux (R-FL), because they were appointed, are not running for reelection, and have not accepted campaign contributions. Includes reported contributions to congressional campaigns of Senators currently in office during the 111th U.S. Congress, from interest groups invested in the vote according to MAPLight.org, June 4, 2004 – June 3, 2010. Data source, OpenSecrets.org
