The ‘Citizens United’ ruling allowed union backed groups in New Hampshire to flood the 2012 gubernatorial election with out of state spending.
The union-funded Democratic Governors Association spent nearly $7 million supporting democratic candidate Maggie Hassan and national unions spent another $2 million directly. Hassan beat her Republican rival, Ovide Lamontagne, by over twelve percentage points.
The Center for Public Integrity reports:
Since the Supreme Court loosened rules on political spending in 2010, the Republican Party, boosted by corporate and billionaire backers, has been painted as the biggest beneficiary. But in New Hampshire and a handful of other states in 2012, Democrats flipped the script.
In New Hampshire, groups backing Democrats reported spending nearly $1 million more than their Republican counterparts.
Nonprofits, super PACs, and other non-candidate groups spent over $200 million to influence elections in 38 states.
Pro-Democratic groups, many associated with unions, outspent their Republican counterparts by more than $8 million, according to the Center’s analysis.
Union-funded outside groups helped Democratic governors win close contests in Montana and Washington. And Democrats took control of the state House in Colorado and both chambers in Maine and Minnesota. In those states, Democratic candidates received significant help from outside groups funded largely by wealthy individuals and national unions.
