CBS Evening News reported on the role of dark money -- spending on political campaigns by outside groups in which either no donors are disclosed or some donors are disclosed -- in key senate elections during the 2014 midterm elections without noting that conservative dark money spending far outpaced that of Democrats, giving viewers a distorted view of who benefited from this controversial spending in 2014.
CBS Evening News Hides GOP Dark Money Advantage
Published
CBS Evening News Reports On Dark Money Spending In Midterms
CBS Evening News: 2014 Midterms Were “The Most Expensive In History” With $145 Million Dollars Coming From Dark Money Sources. On the November 11 edition of CBS Evening News, congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes reported on dark money spending in the midterm elections. Cordes highlighted spending from liberal and conservative groups in the Colorado, Arkansas, and Kentucky senate races without noting that the conservative groups far outspent the liberal groups in these key elections. [CBS, CBS Evening News, 11/11/14]
69 Percent Of Dark Money Spending Went To Help Elect Republicans
NY Times: 69 Percent Of Dark Money “Spent On Behalf Of Republicans” This Cycle. According to The New York Times, 69% of at least $216 million dollars spent during the midterm elections was “spent on behalf of Republicans”:
In the 2010 midterms, when this practice was just getting started, $161 million was spent by groups that did not disclose donations. In this cycle it was up to at least $216 million, and 69 percent of it was spent on behalf of Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
In Colorado, at least $18 million in dark money was spent on behalf of Cory Gardner, the Republican newly elected to the Senate; $4 million was spent on behalf of Senator Mark Udall, the Democratic incumbent. In North Carolina, $13.7 million in secret donations was spent for Thom Tillis, the new Republican senator; $2.6 million went to Senator Kay Hagan, who was ousted. [The New York Times, 11/12/14]
The Sunlight Foundation: Dark Money Groups “Tend To Give More Heavily To Republican Candidates.” The Sunlight Foundations' managing editor Kathy Kiely told Politifact that “untraceable dark money is a preferred tactic of conservatives,” and added that “dark money groups also tend to give more heavily to Republican candidates, which would hint that donors are also Republicans.” [Politifact.com, 11/6/14]
Conservative Dark Money Significantly Outspent Liberals In Every Closely Contested Senate Race
Dark Money Spent On Behalf Of Republicans Significantly Outpaced Democrat Dark Money Spending. According to the Brennan Center's report on dark money campaign spending, conservatives significantly outspent their liberal counterparts in every “toss-up” Senate race:
[Brennan Center, 11/3/14]