SPARE CHANGE: “Billionaire George Soros, the biggest disclosed Democratic donor in the 2022 election cycle, gave another $50 million to a super PAC in the fall , building on an already large investment in Democratic groups and candidates for the 2024 election cycle and beyond,” POLITICO’s Elena Schneider reports. — “Democracy PAC, which has served as one of Soros’ major political spending vehicles since 2019 , received another eight-figure infusion of cash from Soros earlier this month, according to a person directly familiar with the group’s new Federal Elections Commission filing, which will be publicly released on Thursday. It’s the latest sign that Soros will continue to play an enormous role in the Democratic campaign finance ecosystem, particularly ahead of the next presidential election.” — “All of Soros’ 2022 campaign spending — including direct contributions to candidates and committees, as well as donations to a pair of super PACs — totaled about $50 million, likely placing atop the list of the biggest Democratic donors during the midterms, according to OpenSecrets.” — “Either directly or through his affiliated super PACs, Soros in the 2022 cycle, gave $14 million to Senate Majority PAC, the flagship Senate Democratic super PAC. That includes $1 million for the Georgia runoff, which Sen. Raphael Warnock won on Tuesday night, giving Democrats a 51-seat majority in the Senate. Soros sent another $5 million to House Majority PAC, the main House Democratic super PAC, according to the person directly familiar with the Democracy PAC filing.” AFP LAYS OUT ITS POLICY ROADMAP: As Republicans prepare to retake control of one chamber of Congress opposite an expanded Democratic majority in the Senate, Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity today laid out its policy priorities for the incoming Congress and announced an eight-figure financial commitment for a long-term campaign aimed at advancing those policies including grassroots engagement, town halls, advertising and outreach to lawmakers. — “If there’s one thing the election showed, it’s that neither Party has earned the trust and confidence of American voters,” Brent Gardner , the organization’s chief government affairs officer, said in a statement. “Continuing down the same path that has led nearly 80 percent of Americans to say we’re on the wrong track is a recipe for more economic pain. At the same time, sitting back and accepting the status quo until the next election would send a clear message that lawmakers have no interest in solving America’s challenges. Neither approach is acceptable to us or to the American people." — The group is prepping a “large-scale” ad campaign early next year to roll out its plan to the public, and will seek meetings with lawmakers from both parties to tout AFP’s proposals, which touch on labor policy, financial regulations, tax changes, and health care, immigration and criminal justice overhauls along with reining in government spending and administrative rulemaking. MICHAEL BEST STRATEGIES LAUNCHING DEFENSE PRACTICE: Erik Berdy is joining Michael Best Strategies, where he will help launch and lead a new defense and national security practice. Berdy was most recently special assistant for legislative affairs to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Trump and Biden administrations. Michael Best’s Lucia Alonzo and Molly Martell will also become part of the new practice. NO LABELS LATEST: The centrist group No Labels has named former NAACP chief Benjamin Chavis as a national co-chair — joining Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic senator, and outgoing GOP Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland. — The move came hours after the publication of Daniel’s story in which former employees detailed what they believe can be a difficult workplace for minority and female colleagues amid a cutthroat culture where staffers are routinely fired or pushed out. No Labels officials dismissed the complaints as coming from aggrieved ex-employees and said the demanding workload is justified by the goals of the organization. — Chavis, who was previously a volunteer with the group, said in the story that No Labels has a “commitment to diversity and inclusion and treating all people with decency and respect.” In an email to supporters, the group said it was “thrilled Dr. Chavis has agreed to help lead the movement, not only because of his iconic reputation, but because his career reflects exactly what we want No Labels to become --- a force for good that changes Washington for the long term.” — In a brief interview, Chavis said he had been in discussions with No Labels leaders for the last eight months about becoming a national co-chair and his agreement to serve in that role “had nothing to do with the article in POLITICO.” No Labels did not respond to a request for comment on the announcement. SBF'S OTHER BENEFICIARIES: “The nonprofit Campaign Legal Center — a leading nonpartisan political watchdog that's hounded Donald Trump and scores of other politicians with legal challenges and ethics complaints — recently accepted more than $2.5 million in contributions from embattled ‘crypto-king’ Sam Bankman-Fried,” Insider’s Dave Levinthal reports. — “The Campaign Legal Center confirmed to Insider that Bankman-Fried, who is now himself facing significant legal and ethical scrutiny, gave the organization about $2.5 million since 2021. Bankman-Fried gave $1.06 million to the Campaign Legal Center's advocacy arm during 2021, and $1.5 million — split between the group's advocacy and charitable arms — during 2022.” — “Brendan Quinn , a spokesperson for the Campaign Legal Center, says the nonprofit organization cannot return or give away Bankman-Fried's money because the money is already spent.” — The watchdog “has previously suggested political candidates who receive contributions from tainted sources have options for giving back the money. … Asked whether the Campaign Legal Center would consider disgorging an amount of money equivalent to what Bankman-Fried contributed, Quinn noted that the Campaign Legal Center is not a political candidate or committee. ‘When a campaign is asked to disgorge an already-spent contribution, it generally does so by giving an equivalent amount to a charity. CLC is a charity,’ Brendan Quinn said.”
| 
