Open thread for night owls: Fatcats and super PACs, the landscape for 2012

At Mother Jones, Andy Kroll writes:

State-registered super-PACs are getting into the game too. Some focus on just one or two races, others on numerous statewide races where a little money goes a long way. North Carolina's first super-PAC, the Raleigh-based American Foundation Committee, has spent $366,000 to help federal prosecutor George Holding win North Carolina's 13th congressional district. The biggest donors to the group: Holding's own kin. Frank and Ella Holding, the candidate's aunt and uncle, and two of Holding's cousins gave $100,000 each, the Raleigh News and Observer reports, as did two of Holding's cousins. Three more cousins each chipped in $17,000.

In Illinois, Personal PAC, a 34-year-old group that supports abortion rights, created the state's first super-PAC in March. Terry Cosgrove, Personal PAC's president and CEO, says his organization will be active in two-to-three-dozen state legislative races. He declined to say what Personal PAC's super-PAC 2012 spending will be but said spending in past elections reached as high as $1.2 million.

Cosgrove says Personal PAC sued to force Illinois to allow state-level super-PACs'if only to fight right-to-life groups that, with Bopp's help, have toppled numerous campaign spending limits. "Our whole argument was we just want to play on an even playing field," Cosgrove says. "If everyone else can spend unlimitedly, then we need to as well."

The number of state-level super-PACs is likely to grow, and don't be surprised to see wealthy donors deploy their money in both federal and local politics'they always have. Bob Perry, the homebuilding magnate who is among the top donors to national Republican super-PACs, dished out $9.8 million at the state level between 2008 and 2010, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Fred Eychaner, an Obama campaign bundler who gave $500,000 to a pro-Obama super-PAC, also gave $3.8 million for state races. And Foster Friess, the Wyoming-based financier who bankrolled a super-PAC that backed Rick Santorum's presidential campaign, doled out $856,170 for state-level campaigns.

How much further does $10,000 or $100,000 go at the state level? According to a Pew Center on the States analysis, in the mid-2000s the average cost of a winning state Senate campaign was anywhere from $5,713 (North Dakota) to $938,522 (California). In Arizona it was $36,696; in Wisconsin, $140,287; in North Carolina, $234,031. By contrast, the average cost of a US Senate seat in 2010 was $9.2 million.

Super-PACs playing at the state level don't need to drop millions to make a big impact, says Neil Reiff, a veteran Democratic election attorney. In a crowded state-level or congressional primary with three or four candidates, a little money goes a long way. "If you've got a field with little or no name recognition," Reiff says, "you can drown out everyone else."

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For stories regarding fatcat donors, super PACs and other aspects of the fallout from Citizens United, check out Pro-Publica's list here.

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