Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
AZ Star: Deal will prevent vote on Clean Elections
"Sen. John McComish, R-Phoenix, said today a deal has been reached to curb the activities of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission in exchange for avoiding what would be a costly fight with an uncertain outcome. McComish told Capitol Media Services this is a better alternative." (Related, the state's attorney general is under investigation by the FBI.)

NYT: A judge turns on the light on campaign finance
On Friday's Court decision: "A federal judge took an important step toward ending secret donations to big-spending political groups, striking down regulations that permitted some groups to hide their donors." More at NPR.

Public Campaign blog: Sen. Durbin speaks on increasing fairness and transparency
Video of Sen. Durbin (D-Ill.) at last week's DISCLOSE hearing, saying transparency is important but we also need the Fair Elections Now Act.

Congress/2012
ABC News: Scott Brown donates $35k to autism charity for violating anti-super PAC pledge
Due to the outside spending pledge, "Sen. Scott Brown hand-delivered a $35,545 check to the Autism Consortium in Boston."

WSJ: GOP, Romney to raisew funds jointly
"In a move that shows Republicans are coalescing around the party's front-runner, Mitt Romney plans to begin raising money jointly with the Republican National Committee this week as both the candidate and the GOP brace for an expensive general-election fight against President Barack Obama."

TPM: Karl Rove compares American Crossroads to NAACP
"Karl Rove said Monday that efforts by state treasurers to make hedge funds that manage state pension funds disclose donations to 'super PACs' are meant to intimidate donors, comparing the situation to efforts by segregationists to scare NAACP donors in the 1950s." The Wall Street billionaires funding attacks ads ARE JUST LIKE 1950s NAACP donors.

New York: Romney: unions are buying up politicians
Shorter Mitt Romney: unlimited contributions by corporations and millionaires is fine, but union contributions from regular workers should be banned.

NYT: From a fake union organizer, an anti-liberal scheme
I'd say be careful about these dumb stings of liberal groups, but if they all go like this it's pretty easy to spot.

Sunlight; Ways and means, financial services, and energy and commerce are top House fundraising committees
"When it comes to fundraising potential, not all committee assignments in the U.S. House are created equal. A new Sunlight analysis of House fundraising patterns from the 103rd to 111th Congress finds that three committees – Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Energy and Commerce – stand out as being particularly lucrative. "

Bloomberg: Republicans fail at business role in defying chamber
"Business groups counting on Republican gains in Congress to deliver their legislative agenda are voicing frustration over obstacles within a party usually allied with their interests."

Bloomberg: NY Divide: Upper West Side for Obama, east backs Romney
"Three zip codes on the east side of the New York City borough of Manhattan are among the most lucrative locations for Republican challenger Mitt Romney to raise campaign cash. Three zip codes on the west side are ranked as the top areas where President Barack Obama has collected money."

WaPo: Obama, Democratic super PAC taking on Romney ties to oil industry in battleground states
"President Barack Obama’s campaign accused Republican Mitt Romney of siding with 'Big Oil' in a new television ad released Monday, signaling an escalation of a general election campaign and a vigorous debate over gas prices."

Dallas Morning News: Texas super PAC targets long-time GOP incumbents Joe Barton and Ralph Hall
Campaign for Primary Accountability strikes again: "A Texas super PAC with the stated goal of ousting congressional incumbents will target two long-time Texas Republicans in the GOP primary - Joe Barton of Ennis and Ralph Hall of Rockwall"

Roll Call: TechAmerica continues bulking up staff
"TechAmerica has expanded its ranks once again, adding a defense policy expert and two membership-focused positions, even as talk of a technology association merger still swirls."

Bozeman Chronicle: Montana Senate campaigns living high on the hog
"Campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat can be a long, stressful ordeal--but it turns out some of the perks can be pretty good, according to an analysis of campaign finance reports for Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg."

PCAF Tumblr: $100M in outside spending
CRP reports that outside spending has now reached $100M.

Other/States
AZ Capitol Times: FBI investigating Tom Horne for campaign violations
"Federal authorities are investigating allegations that Attorney General Tom Horne illegally collaborated with an independent expenditure committee that spent more than a half-million dollars on negative ads against his Democratic opponent in 2010, the Arizona Capitol Times has learned."

Post-Dispatch: It's pitch perfect that voter ID measure tossed as a fraud
Strong editorial on voter suppression efforts in Missouri: "In a perverted, poetic justice kind of way, it's pitch perfect that in their alleged attempt to stop voter fraud, Missouri Republicans committed, well, fraud."

Legislative Gazette: Albany lobbying is "recession proof"
"A record $220 million in lobbying was spent last year to influence decision making in New York state government, according to a 2011 Annual Report released last week by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics."

TPM: Texas voter ID: State tries to keep info secret
Wonder why: "The state of Texas wants the discussions their Republican legislators had about passing a voter ID law to stay secret."

Dante 101: Compas calls on opponent Fitzgerald to sign clean campaign pledge
"The woman who organized the successful grassroots effort to recall state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald has called on the co-majority leader to sign a clean campaign pledge that would limit out-of-state fundraising and enforce standards for political advertisements."

State House News Service: Cahill charges add to list of case against Hill's once-powerful pols
"Attorney General Martha Coakley’s indictment Monday of ex-treasurer Tim Cahill on charges that he misspent taxpayer money adds to a list of criminal complaints against Beacon Hill power brokers that may present a years-long headache for Massachusetts Democratic leaders." NYT.