Sep 17, 2026

Kelly Ayotte Calls Her Opponent an 'Opioid Lobbyist.' She Vouched for the 'Character' of Purdue Pharma's Lawyer, Who Just Quit the Supreme Court Over Ethics Violations.

Governor Kelly Ayotte has built her reelection campaign around her opponent's old work for Purdue Pharma. In 2021 she personally urged the Executive Council to make Gordon MacDonald — who had fought New Hampshire's opioid investigation as Purdue's lawyer — chief justice, calling it 'about his character.' This week he resigned after admitting he broke the judicial ethics rules.

Corruption & EthicsChecks & Balances New Hampshire

Sep 17, 2026

The SEC Wants to Scrap the Rule That Keeps Wall Street Campaign Cash Away From Teachers' and Firefighters' Pensions

Since 2010, a money manager that gives campaign cash to the officials who pick who runs a public pension can't get paid by that pension for two years. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins wants the rule gone — even though the SEC's own proposal admits pay-to-play schemes take money from retirees and taxpayers.

Corruption & EthicsBillionaires & Big Business

Sep 17, 2026

Mike Lawler's Campaign Has Paid $502,000 to the Consulting Firm He Co-Founded. The Man Who Runs It Still Owes Lawler Up to $250,000.

Lawler's congressional campaign has paid Checkmate Strategies $502,538 since 2022. He didn't sign a deal to sell his half of the firm until 2025, and his newest disclosure shows he is still owed $100,001 to $250,000 on that sale — paid, the firm's head says, out of his own pocket — while the campaign's monthly fee to the firm went up.

Corruption & Ethics New York

Sep 17, 2026

Maria Elvira Salazar Warned That Venezuela's 'Acting Dictator Is Just Buying Time.' Then She Voted to Block Subpoenas for the Oil Deal's Paperwork.

Salazar chairs the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. When Democrats moved to subpoena the Trump administration's oil deal with a company run by a billionaire under money-laundering investigation in two countries, she voted no and the motion died 6-6.

Checks & Balances Florida

Sep 17, 2026

John James Wants to Bring Right-to-Work Back to Michigan. Wages in Right-to-Work States Run 3.1% Lower.

Michigan repealed right-to-work in 2023. John James called bringing it back 'a massive win for freedom' — and in Congress he signed a bill to impose it on all 50 states and voted against restoring union rights for federal workers.

Jobs Michigan

Sep 17, 2026

Nick Begich Joined the DOGE Caucus and Told Alaskans to Hold Tight. By the End of 2025, Alaska Had 1,607 Fewer Federal Jobs.

Begich cheered DOGE on X and told Alaskans in February 2025 that he wanted to make sure 'Alaska's interests are protected.' Alaska's own Labor Department now reports the state ended 2025 with 1,607 fewer federal jobs than a year earlier, a 10.5% drop, including 755 at the Defense Department and 180 in the Forest Service.

DOGEJobs Alaska

Sep 17, 2026

The FEC Has Flagged Apparently Over-the-Limit Money on Nick LaLota's Reports 13 Times Since 2022.

A September 15 FEC letter says LaLota's campaign took money from Leonard Blavatnik, Stacey Siebel, Andrea Wynn and Lewis Stahl that appears to exceed federal limits. LaLota says it was one misspelled name. Thirteen of the 23 FEC letters his campaign has received since 2022 flag apparently over-the-limit money.

Corruption & EthicsBillionaires & Big Business New York

Sep 17, 2026

Jim Pillen Blamed Nebraska's Budget Forecasters for the Shortfall. Now He's Put the Two Senators Who Sponsored His Tax Cuts on the Board.

Six weeks before the forecast that will shape his next budget, Pillen replaced a third of Nebraska's independent revenue-forecasting board — the first governor to do that in its 40-year history — installing Lou Ann Linehan and Tom Briese, who championed the income tax cuts that have contributed to a third straight budget hole of at least $200 million. Linehan says she doesn't think there is a problem.

TaxesCorruption & Ethics Nebraska

Sep 17, 2026

Tom Kean Jr. Mailed Voters a Taxpayer-Funded Promise to Ban Congressional Stock Trading. His Portfolio Kept Buying Stock After He Voted for the Ban.

This month New Jersey's 7th District got a mailer, paid for with House funds, telling them Tom Kean Jr. wants to ban members of Congress from trading stocks. His own filings show stock trades in every month of 2026 through August — including two purchases in August, weeks after he voted for a bill to stop members from buying stocks.

Corruption & Ethics New Jersey