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Ian Vandewalker

@ianvan.bsky.social
6.8K followers 382 following 312 posts

Policy advocacy and research on money in politics and disinformation. Senior Counsel & Manager, Brennan Center.

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
lol
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Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
From 16,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle. "The state sent a strongly worded rebuke to the federal government: Every single person on the list was a lawful citizen."
nytimes.com
From 15,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle
It was the Trump administration’s latest stumble in its effort to find proof of widespread noncitizen voting, despite decades of evidence that it is extremely rare.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 22/09/2026
Billions in dark money are flooding the election — and voters don’t know who’s behind it. bit.ly/4d1GYVr
brennancenter.org
$1 billion in Secret Cash Is Reshaping the Midterms
We may never know where most of the money came from.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In theory, federal law bans campaign contributions from government contractors, but the rule is shot through with loopholes. Congress can fix it--and pass other needed anti-corruption reforms. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/pol...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Study after study shows that firms that give more money to campaigns net more govt contracts. academic.oup.com/book/61887/c...
The 2011 study that spawned this government contracting literature examined
all corporate PACs in operation from 1979 to 2006.30 Controlling for
other variables, PAC donations in the previous electoral cycle were strongly
linked to federal contracts for PACs’ parent firms in the current cycle.31 Specifically,
an additional $200,000 in donations led, on average, to more than a
hundred extra contracts worth more than $5,000,000.32 This finding also held
for both earlier (1980–1992) and later (1994–2006) periods and for both
defense and nondefense firms.33 The latest and most methodologically sophisticated
study looks at the contributions of individual employees (which dwarf
PAC donations) from 2004 to 2015.34 Aggregating these contributions at
the level of the employer, and controlling for other variables, donating firms
again receive more revenue from federal government contracts.35 They do so
whether their donations are treated in binary fashion (yes or no), categorically
(high, medium, or low), or continuously (by dollar amount). Other studies tell virtually the same story. From 1993 to 2010, S&P
500 companies whose PACs made contributions were about twice as likely
to win federal contracts, and a $500 increase in contributions was associated
with roughly $200,000 more in contracting revenue.37 From 2001 to
2006, over a sample of smaller federal no-bid contracts, a $100 increase
in donations from a firm’s employees was linked to around $250 more
in contracting revenue.38 From 2001 to 2010, each additional net member
of Congress prevailing in a close race to whom a corporate PAC contributed
led to the receipt of about two more federal contracts worth over
$11,000,000.39 From 2009 to 2015, companies whose PACs gave more
to Barack Obama than to his opponents, and whose executives attended
meetings at the White House, obtained an average of over $17,000,000
more in federal contracting revenue.40
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Perhaps the most shocking thing is how much pay-to-play seems to be business as usual for the people involved, including congressional staff, campaign fundraisers, super PAC heads, and military officials. Some didn’t even bother to avoid putting things in writing.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This deeply researched piece has jaw-dropping allegations of pay-to-play deals where tens of thousands in political donations are made right before a company gets tens of millions in contracts for products the DOD didn't want. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 17/09/2026
The Supreme Court’s decision on mail voting means that Americans can cast their mail ballots with confidence this fall. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Supreme Court Rules Postal Service Must Deliver Mail Ballots
The ruling affirms that American citizens can vote by mail with confidence.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 16/09/2026
From false claims that large numbers of non-U.S. citizens are illegally registered to vote to attacks on mail voting, here are five election rumors circulating ahead of the midterms. bit.ly/4yDljei
brennancenter.org
Five False Election Rumors to Watch For
Voters should expect recurring false election narratives to resurface in the coming months — and familiarize themselves with the facts.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/u...
nytimes.com
Prison Firm Donated to Trump’s PAC After ICE Gave It $165 Million a Year in Contracts
The GEO Group has profited from the administration’s mass deportation campaign. A subsidiary donated more than $1.4 million to the president’s super PAC last month.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
'DHS initially announced it had found close to 16,000 noncitizens on Nevada's voter list. But a DHS official acknowledged in the meeting with Nevada officials that number was "the ceiling".... Then, a day later, DHS provided the state with a list of 185...'
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Why would anybody believe anything Trump's DHS says about voting at this point? www.npr.org/2026/08/25/n...
npr.org
DHS acknowledges the noncitizen numbers it touted on voter rolls were inflated
The Trump administration claimed to have found 250,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls in four states. But the agency's communications with states since then indicate that data was preliminary.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Grand jury: "Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida… or had any memory of who made it." www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/g...
cbsnews.com
Grand jury finds DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money to Hope Florida
A Florida grand jury found the DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million in taxpayer money for political purposes.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Dark money: "$1 billion includes only what is publicly available.... These groups also fund political activity that is more difficult to track, such as direct mail, hiring influencers...." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/u...
nytimes.com
‘The Least Transparent Midterm’: How Dark Money Is Washing Over the 2026 Election
At least $1 billion from anonymous donors is flowing into the midterm elections. Dark money is not new, but it now permeates nearly every major contest.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Census report on noncitizen voting is a hack job that clearly ignored reality to try to reach a big number. Even so, they couldn't beat the margin of error--meaning, their number, statistically speaking, is zero. econjared.substack.com/p/the-govern...
econjared.substack.com
The Government Report That Made Me Stop Trusting Our Statistical Agencies
I’ve waved people off this degree of mistrust. I no longer can do so.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Alaska: campaign contribution limits are so back. boltsmag.org/measure-1-al...
boltsmag.org
After Years of Runaway Spending, Alaskans Vote to Reinstate Cap on Campaign Donations - Bolts
Five years after a federal court ruling introduced unlimited spending in Alaska elections, voters there hit back on Tuesday, defying their Republican governor and approving new limits that restrict th...
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
How is the cyclospora outbreak a money in politics problem? @danw329.bsky.social explains... www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Cyclospora Outbreak Shows Why So Many Americans Are Angry About Corruption
Following major lobbying and campaign spending from the food industry, an important safety rule has been delayed for years.
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Tessa Duvall @tessaduvall.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
🚨 Kentucky has announced the finalists in its "I Voted" sticker contest. 🚨 Per the Secretary of State: Kentuckians can vote for their favorite sticker at the SOS's booth at the State Fair from August 20-30.
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 20/08/2026
cool cool
readsludge.com
Trump Convenes White House Crypto Meeting With His Own Business Partners
Many of the companies at today’s White House meeting are in business with the president's or his son's crypto ventures, and have donated millions to Trump’s political committees.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
P.S. The FDA consistently fails to meet statutorily mandated standards for food facility inspections. www.gao.gov/assets/gao-2...
gao.gov
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I almost died from e. coli as a kid. Hospitalized with full kidney failure for 6 weeks. Don't mess around with this stuff. www.cbsnews.com/news/blueber...
cbsnews.com
FDA upgrades recall of frozen blueberries sold at Publix to highest health risk level
Recalled frozen blueberries and mixed berries that could be contaminated with E. coli pose the most severe category of health risk, according to the FDA.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Make America Less Safe and Healthy www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Trump 2.0 has deleted or altered nearly 400 US datasets, endangering public health, education and more
Health data appears to be most affected by administration’s attempt to wipe findings that don’t align with its priorities, tracker shows
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The Brennan Center's new home for analysis and commentary on the influence of big money in the 2026 elections: www.brennancenter.org/series/money...
brennancenter.org
Money in the 2026 Election
In the run-up to November, the Brennan Center is releasing analyses exploring key trends shaping how money flows into our elections and whose voices are heard the loudest.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 17/08/2026
Brennan Center testing found AI chatbots couldn’t recognize images their own tools had made. Co-author @larrynorden.bsky.social: “They were uniformly bad at identifying if something was AI or not,” often “crediting images as photos being taken by real people.”
techpolicy.press
How AI Is Reshaping Election Information Ahead of the 2026 US Midterms
Justin Hendrix spoke to Larry Norden, vice president of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center, about a new analysis of the subject.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
As well as in Wisconsin, in "Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada — Republicans have chosen an election denier as their nominee for governor, secretary of state, or both." www.yahoo.com/news/politic...
yahoo.com
The election deniers coming to a swing state near you
Tom Tiffany said 2020 was stolen. Now he's the GOP pick for Wisconsin governor. And there are others like him.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
Trump administration set to spend at least $900 million on White House construction
The price tag is much larger than what has been previously reported, according to a Post review of confidential contracts, and taxpayers would cover most of it.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"...at least 25 county-level election officials who have taken office across the country since the last major federal election in 2024 ... have aligned with the broader election-denier movement, according to a Times review of a new database from Voting Rights Lab" www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/u...
nytimes.com
A Growing Number of Election Deniers Hold Key Local Roles in Midterms
These officials oversee or help administer elections in counties across the nation where competitive House and Senate races will determine control of Congress.
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Bolts @boltsmag.org · 03/08/2026
Ballot measures on direct democracy and data centers. Heated congressional primaries. Socialist challenges to state lawmakers. Conservative challenges to lawmakers who opposed redistricting. Buckle up for a busy Election Day tomorrow. 🗓️
boltsmag.org
110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts
A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Pikachu is surprised.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
We can attack this problem from both sides. Public financing that lifts up small donors and invites new ones, a constitutional amendment to return common-sense restrictions on big money, and better transparency and ethics rules. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Americans across party lines see big money in politics as corruption, and they want solutions. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Tobacco company Reynolds American / RAI Services gave $5 million around the time the administration lifted restrictions on vaping products, giving Reynolds what it wanted and inducing the FDA head to resign. www.wsj.com/business/tob...
wsj.com
Tobacco Giant Donated $5 Million to MAGA Inc. Shortly Before Vaping Decision
Reynolds American was lobbying the White House to ease limits on flavored vaping products.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The top MAGA Inc. donor at $35M is the owner of crypto[dot]com, apt for a president friendly to cryptocurrency as a matter of both policy and personal investments. Greg & Anna Brockman, whose money comes from OpenAI, gave $25M, and Trump has supported leaving the AI industry largely unregulated.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
This is why the elite pundits who say “small donors are making politics worse” are so out of touch. Small money only matters when millions of people come together to vote with dollars, and they don’t seek favors for wealthy corporations or special interests.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Reporting shows how this massive fund was raised (+ less-transparent groups like the ballroom and 250th anniversary funds): Trump is constantly asking big business for money, including companies in search of policy favors from his administration. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
Exclusive | ‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising Operation
Meredith O’Rourke, nicknamed ‘princess of darkness,’ carries out the president’s desire to wring hundreds of millions from companies for his projects.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
MAGA Inc. has a mind-boggling $400 million cash on hand. Despite Trump endorsing various primary contenders, the group has spent almost nothing--less than $2M--on this year’s elections. It’s head and shoulders above the other richest committees, which include the GOP Hill-focused super PACs.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
As the midterm congressional elections heat up, the richest political committee in the US is, of course … the super PAC controlled by a president who’s not on the ballot and is constitutionally barred from ever running again.
Table showing the top 5 political committees by cash on hand.
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Sludge @sludge.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NEW: Freedom 250 LLC doesn’t have to disclose what its corporate sponsors paid. But new lobbying filings reveal millions given by major corporate backers. readsludge.com/2026/07/31/l...
readsludge.com
Lobbying Filings Reveal What Companies Paid for Trump's Freedom 250
Freedom 250 isn't required to disclose what its corporate sponsors paid, but new lobbying filings reveal the first documented contribution amounts for some of its biggest backers.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I'll be on Texas Public Radio soon discussing dark money in elections... www.tpr.org/podcast/the-...
tpr.org
Dark money becomes a formidable force in American elections
What's known as "dark money" in U.S. elections reached a record-shattering $1.9 billion in recent federal election cycles, nearly doubling the previous record. This surge traces back to the Supreme Co...
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State Court Report @statecourtreport.org · 29/07/2026
In an important decision, Arizona’s supreme court ruled that corporate campaign contributions are not protected speech under the state constitution — a departure from the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. Learn more by subscribing to State Court Report’s free newsletter: bit.ly/45IXZ0M
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Groundwork Collaborative @groundwork.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
While grocery prices are rising, 1.5 million kids have lost food assistance benefits since Republicans passed their budget law. Hungry kids are more likely to get lower test scores & repeat grades. New from us & @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: That's just the start of parents' budgeting woes.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 28/07/2026
The Brennan Center, @aaaj-aajc.bsky.social, FIRM, and Unidos have prepared a know your rights guide to protect your vote at the polls. Learn more about how you can prepare and what you and your community can do if armed federal agents are unlawfully at the polls during the midterm elections.
brennancenter.org
Vote Safely in 2026
Sending troops or ICE officers to the polls is illegal. Here’s how you can protect your vote and your community’s voice, even if federal agents unlawfully show up.
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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 23/07/2026
Americans are working more, but losing control over their time. Unlike peer countries, the US has failed to pair a two-income economy with the policies that make that model sustainable, namely affordable child and elder care and serious workplace protections around scheduling.
Infographic from the Roosevelt Institute and The Good Life stating, “The average middle-class American couple with children works a combined 600 paid hours a year more than they did in 1975.” Below the headline is a 104-square grid representing 104 weeks (one year for a couple). Dark magenta squares indicate weeks worked in 1975, black-outlined squares show the additional weeks worked by 2025, and light pink squares represent nonworking weeks. The visualization highlights that the increase in paid work is equivalent to about 15 additional 40-hour workweeks per year for a couple.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Public financing programs can empower grassroots campaigns without incentivizing rage baiting. Programs that match small in-district $ reward candidates for outreach to any constituent who can afford a few dollars, so that candidates listen to regular people in their community instead of megadonors.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
When pundits complain about polarization of small donors, they point to candidates who say outrageous things on TV to incite a national audience. That’s a fundraising strategy that takes advantage of polarized, nationalized politics & media—small $ didn’t create that & it’s not going away.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Congress needs to pass major anti-corruption reforms, like amending the Constitution to allow reasonable regulations of campaign finance (overturning Citizens United and other decisions), banning dark money, and publicly financing campaigns. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Nine out of ten voters know that big money influencing policy is corrupt, and they want solutions to the crisis of corruption in our politics. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
While it’s true that many individual donors (small & big) prefer candidates who take strong ideological stances, what small donors DON’T do on the whole is they don’t represent some wealthy special interest that can write off $50M or $100M to buy policy for profit at the expense of the public good.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
This shows what’s wrong with the claim that there are supposedly too many small donors supporting extreme candidates. All the millions of small donors combined gave less than $1 billion in Congressional races in 2024. A few megadonors have already outspent that.
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