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.