In the Kansas governor race, ‘dark’ money from outside organizations speaks loudly

Kansans, hold on to your armchairs. As the Nov. 4 election approaches, you may witness on your TV screens a more than average onslaught of negative political advertising. You can thank the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Center for Public Integrity has found that TV ad spending by the two leading candidates for Kansas governor tallies $6.3 million so far — for 18,700 ads. Most of that money has come from outside groups. The two largest spenders are so-called “social welfare” 501(c)(4) organizations, whose individual donors do not need to be identified.

One organization backing incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback to the tune of $1.8 million is Alliance for Freedom, a “Virginia-based group advocating for limited government and a free market.” That group has links to the family of Dick Cheney and echoes the Koch brothers’ philosophy.

The other big spender ($1.3 million for ads attacking Brownback and thus benefiting his opponent, Paul Davis) is Kansas Values Institute. The center calls it a Democratic group with ties to the Kansas affiliate of the National Education Association.

These “dark money” efforts accelerated after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which loosened campaign finance laws regulations. It’s more regrettable evidence of what Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has called the current court’s worst decision.

This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 5:01 PM with the headline "In the Kansas governor race, ‘dark’ money from outside organizations speaks loudly."