Outside groups switch election tactics to keep their donors secret
By Alexander Bolton – 07/08/12 06:00 AM ET
Outside groups are going to extra lengths to keep their donors secret, worrying that public disclosure could open up their supporters to harassment.
Bob Biersack, senior fellow at the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks outside group spending in federal elections, says that groups will change their election strategy to keep donor names protected.
“There’s been very little electioneering communication since that Van Hollen decision came out,” Biersack said in reference to a recent court decision that may require groups funding issue ads to disclose their donors.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been a dominant force in Senate battleground states, has signaled it will switch from issue ads to independent expenditures to keep its donors secret.