Campaign Legal Center has released a new report, The Donor-to-Ambassador Pipeline: Why America's Key Diplomats Are Often Wealthy Political Donors. This report takes a closer look at the history of, and risks associated with, a major share of America’s top diplomats being wealthy political donors.  

The release of this report also happens to coincide with the debut of The Diplomat - a new series on Netflix. Unlike our current reality, in which ambassadorships to desirable countries are doled out to wealthy donors, the show centers on a qualified career diplomat serving as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Even in the high-stakes, fanciful world of the show, this is repeatedly pointed out as an anomaly.  

Our report features:  

• A breakdown of over $22.5 million worth of donations to the Democratic Party from President Biden’s noncareer political ambassador nominees.  

• A historic timeline on the regularity of the donor-to-ambassador pipeline from the Reagan to Trump administrations.  

• Profiles of corruption and incompetence by past noncareer political ambassadors.   

• Reforms that Congress and the Executive Branch can adopt to ensure the most qualified officials ascend to ambassadorship roles.   

The complaint alleges that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has violated federal campaign finance laws by directing or transferring over $80 million from his state PAC, “Friends of Ron DeSantis,” to the super PAC Never Back Down.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, alleging that both DeSantis and his state PAC violated laws prohibiting the use of soft money — i.e., money that is not subject to federal limits and reporting requirements — in federal elections by transferring over $80 million to a federal super PAC, Never Back Down.

Friends of Ron DeSantis, a state PAC based in Florida that DeSantis established in 2018, and used to raise over $225 million through May 2023, has reportedly directed or transferred over $80 million to Never Back Down, a federal super PAC reportedly organized to serve as the primary spending vehicle in support of the Florida governor’s presidential campaign. Never Back Down has already spent over $944,000 to promote his presidential candidacy.

The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) has, for over 20 years, prohibited federal candidates like DeSantis from spending “soft money” in connection with a federal election because such funds are not subject to federal campaign finance laws that prevent corruption and require transparency in our elections.

“Soft money undermines federal campaign finance laws because it is, by definition, money raised and spent outside the scope of those laws,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center. “We’re talking about funds from billionaires and corporate special interests who could exert massive influence over the candidate they are financing. Laws banning these funds from being used to seek federal office are there for a reason – to prevent corruption, promote transparency, and ensure that wealthy special interests can’t rig the system even further in their favor.”

As the complaint explains, DeSantis became a candidate well before his public announcement on May 24, 2023, and was therefore bound by the FECA provisions prohibiting candidates and the entities they establish, finance, maintain, or control from spending soft money in connection with federal elections. As a result, Friends of Ron DeSantis — recently renamed “Empower Parents PAC” as part of a clear effort to distance the group from DeSantis — brazenly violated the law when it transferred this colossal sum to a federal super PAC.

The FEC is responsible for enforcing federal campaign finance laws and should investigate whether Governor DeSantis and the Friends of Ron DeSantis state PAC violated the law by making this transfer.

Washington, DC – In 2018, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) built RestoreYourVote.org and RecupereSuVoto.org, a first-of-its-kind online tool to help Americans who have been impacted by the criminal legal system understand their voting rights. Since its debut, RestoreYourVote.org has become the most reliable tool available to aid people with felony convictions in determining their eligibility to vote. 

The Restore Your Vote tool has now been updated to give media, advocacy groups and government agencies the ability to feature the tool directly on their websites.  

The tool, which is regularly updated as laws change, has been visited by over 300,000 unique users and is cited by the Department of Justice to help voters with past felony convictions navigate voting laws in their state. CLC’s Restore Your Vote team also operates a hotline, where voters can directly receive free and confidential rights restoration services.  

Click Here to Embed the Restore Your Vote Tool on Your Website 

Felony disenfranchisement laws silence roughly 4.6 million Americans and disproportionately impact Black and brown communities. In fact, many of these laws were explicitly designed to silence Black voters and are relics of Jim Crow. Today, 5.3% of Black Americans are disenfranchised due to felony convictions compared to 1.5% of the non-Black population.  

Of the nearly 24 million Americans with past felony convictions, more than 19 million people can register to vote right now, but don’t know it. This is due to a patchwork of confusing and evolving laws, rampant misinformation and government-sponsored intimidation tactics that keep Americans from exercising their freedom to vote.  

RestoreYourVote.org helps bridge this gap by guiding users through simple questions about their convictions to help determine whether they can register to vote or can get their right to vote restored in their state.  

“Our democracy works best when everyone has a voice. Too many people with past felony convictions sit out elections because of confusion and fear around eligibility. The RestoreYourVote.org tool can help clear up misinformation that may be preventing tens of millions of Americans from exercising their freedom to vote,” said Blair Bowie, director of the Restore Your Vote program at Campaign Legal Center. “By embedding RestoreYourVote.org on their websites, media outlets, advocacy organizations and government agencies can be partners in the effort to educate as many people as possible about their voting rights and make American democracy more inclusive in the process.” 

With the 2024 general election right around the corner, battleground states like Florida have used law enforcement to intimidate and criminalize Americans with felony convictions so they are too afraid to vote. Access to free, straightforward resources like RestoreYourVote.org can help give voters the confidence they need to participate in democracy.  

Learn more about RestoreYourVote.org here.  

Tallahassee, FL — Today, the League of Women Voters of Florida, represented by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), sued Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Secretary of State Cord Byrd to block provisions of Florida’s recently-enacted omnibus election law that would restrict and penalize basic nonpartisan civic engagement efforts. The law, Senate Bill 7050, directly targets and drastically restricts the ability of nonpartisan civic engagement organizations, like the League of Women Voters of Florida, to engage with voters, violating their right to freedom of speech and association.

"Folks helping their neighbors access and exercise the fundamental freedom to vote is one of the pillars of our democracy," said Paul Smith, senior vice president at Campaign Legal Center. "Instead of celebrating civic engagement groups for their work to encourage participation in our democracy, Florida legislators restricted and penalized basic voter outreach efforts. This action will directly harm members of historically marginalized communities – including voters of color, low-income voters, voters with disabilities and young voters – who rely on these nonpartisan efforts to help make their voices heard."

According to an independent analysis, Floridians of color are five times more likely to register to vote through nonpartisan third-party civic engagement organizations than white Floridians.

"Senate Bill 7050 is yet another assault on democracy and attempt to muzzle Floridians,” said Cecile M. Scoon, Esq., president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “Florida seems intent on making the act of voting nerve-racking. We are forced to turn to the courts to ensure nonpartisan community-based voter registration organizations, like the League, can continue their important work of registering voters and ensure voters have equal and meaningful access to the ballot box.” 

"Florida continues to be a leader in the attack on voters and voter support organizations. Florida voters continue to be the punching bag for shameless anti-voter politicians,” said Celina Stewart, chief counsel and senior director of advocacy and litigation at the League of Women Voters of the US. “Communities across the nation rely on nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters to navigate the voting process. That is why the League will continue the fight to expand voter access, to support the millions of voters we serve each election cycle.”

The lawsuit challenges provisions of Senate Bill 7050, signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis today, that would:

• Fine nonpartisan civic engagement groups $50,000 for every volunteer with certain felony convictions or who is not a U.S. citizen who registers voters on behalf of the organization, preventing non-U.S. citizens and people with certain felony convictions from even engaging with voters in their community.
• Shorten the timeframe for civic engagement groups to verify information and deliver completed voter registration applications to election officials.
• Force non-partisan civic engagement organizations to re-register with the state before registering any voters in each and every general election cycle. 
• Significantly raise the potential maximum fines for nonpartisan civic engagement groups engaged in First Amendment-protected voter registration activity.
• Require groups to provide a receipt to those who fill out voter registration forms, but restricting those same groups from keeping records of those receipts.
• Prohibit civic organizations from retaining voters’ personal information, even with the voter’s consent, which limits their ability to continue associating with voters whom they help to register and providing them with assistance and information about how and when to participate in upcoming elections.

The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American’s rights to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process.

The League of Women Voters of Florida is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government, working to increase understanding of major policy issues, and advocating for legislative changes and policies for the public good. For more information, visit LWVFL.org.