“Sens. John Fetterman (D) and Dave McCormick (R) of Pennsylvania have set up a joint fundraising committee, according to a Federal Election Commission filing, a rare move for lawmakers from opposing political parties,” the Washington Post reports.

”With joint fundraising committees, two or more candidates, party committees or PACs can raise money together, and donors can write a single big check rather than several smaller ones. Presidential candidates have historically used joint fundraising committees to bulk up their war chests ahead of general elections. It’s unusual for the participants to be affiliated with different political parties.”

New York Times: “For the first time, most Republican nominees in battleground states are drawing support from their own well-funded super PACs. The little-noticed shift allows them to raise more money, adding to the party’s advantage in super PAC cash over Democrats. That edge could prove important in the midterms, even if the Supreme Court’s major recent campaign-finance decision shakes up how much candidates rely on super PACs.”

“The move could also make Republican candidates less reliant on the Senate Leadership Fund. There is often drama each fall when the group makes difficult decisions about which states to prioritize — or abandon.”

“Karoline Leavitt can’t seem to shake her old campaign debt,” NOTUS reports.

“The White House press secretary’s 2022 congressional campaign still owes creditors more than $326,000, according to its most recent financial report, filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.”

“Most of that debt — more than $210,000 — is attributable to unpaid refunds to donors who made excessive contributions to Leavitt’s campaign, in violation of federal limits.”

“The Senate GOP campaign arm won a major Supreme Court boost in the party’s bid to hold congressional majorities on Tuesday,” Axios reports.

“Republicans’ reliance on mega-donors and their cash-flush committees positions them to benefit more than Democrats from the ruling, which allows committees to spend unlimited sums in coordination with candidates as they push against headwinds in November.”

“GOP officials reacted with glee to the Tuesday ruling, deriding Democrats who have criticized the decision for giving more power to the wealthiest donors.”

Bloomberg: Supreme Court opens midterm ad floodgates, giving GOP an edge.

“Larry Ellison didn’t join the gaggle of CEOs that traveled with President Trump on his state visit to China. He wasn’t among the guests at a White House dinner Trump hosted with tech titans. He also skipped the UFC event on Trump’s 80th birthday,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The Oracle billionaire didn’t need to be at these public events. Ellison, 81, has developed a more-private friendship with Trump that has helped his tech company’s business as well as his son’s effort to assemble a media conglomerate. Key to the relationship: Ellison’s money.”

“Ellison gave roughly $45 million to a political nonprofit group supporting Trump’s election efforts in 2024, according to people familiar with the fundraising. Such funding isn’t subject to disclosure rules and hasn’t been previously reported.”

Politico: “A record number of groups are exploiting a gap in campaign finance law to flood this year’s primary elections with money — without disclosing their donors until long after the race is over.”

“More than $48 million has already been spent on House and Senate primaries this year by super PACs that did not have to reveal their donors before elections took place… That is more than double the total at this time in the 2024 cycle, and 10 times higher than in 2018.”

NOTUS: “Federal regulators have probed why former Rep. Devin Nunes — until recently CEO of Trump Media — has a whopping $14.5 million in campaign funds despite not running for office since 2020.”

“The Federal Election Commission reached out in April to Nunes’ mom, Toni Dian Nunes, who is also his campaign committee’s treasurer, for answers about her son’s stockpile. The amount is extraordinary for someone who is not a candidate or lawmaker and is rivaled by only a few in the House. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of Congress’ top fundraisers, reported on Thursday that her campaign has $15.9 million on hand.”

NOTUS: “Democrat Al Franken is sitting on a small political fortune — and he’s preparing to use it.”

“Franken, who federal records indicate has more than $1.4 million in leftover cash sitting in his old U.S. Senate campaign account, is ‘likely to convert’ that committee into a political action committee ‘in the near future,’ Al Franken for Senate Treasurer Thomas Borman wrote in a letter to federal regulators this week.”

CNN: “The evidence is circumstantial, but the list is long. Supporters who have business with the federal government clearly see utility in contributing large amounts to President Donald Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc.”

“At least four of the five $1 million-plus donors to MAGA Inc. also have federal contracts or policy they’re trying to influence with the Trump administration, according to the most recent legally required monthly donor disclosure filing with the Federal Election Commission. But there are numerous other donors to MAGA Inc., which has raised more than $340 million, seeking to influence the administration during Trump’s second term.”

If Rep. Tom Barrett’s (R-MI) mileage reimbursements are accurate, the Michigan Republican drove enough campaign-related miles to circle the Earth once with about 7,000 miles left to spare, the Detroit Metro Times reports.

The New York Times provides “a rare glimpse into the world of pay-for-play social media, where content creators and marketing firms are increasingly compensated to promote candidates or points of view and where there are few requirements for disclosure.”

“The paid advocacy exists outside the realm of traditional lobbying and campaigning, reaching younger, more online audiences unlikely to be swayed by television advertisements or glossy mailers.”