Last night, Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown had fundraisers scheduled. Warren's was a low-dollar trivia night in Somerville, Brown's was a $1,000 a ticket event at Chef Michel Richard's Central in DC. PCAF used the opportunity to take a look at the lobbyist cash in the race.

Want to track presidential race spending? Washington Post has a great new feature.

And, after much hand-wringing this cycle, the New York Times reports: "With the election just weeks away — and millions of dollars in advertising time booked but not yet paid for — Democratic super PACs are finally drawing the kind of wealthy donors who have already made Republican outside groups a pivotal force in the 2012 campaign."

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
WaPo: Judge backs Obama ban on lobbyists serving on advisory panels
"A federal judge Wednesday upheld an Obama administration ban on lobbyists serving on advisory panels, throwing out a lawsuit brought by six lobbyists who hoped to serve on such boards and committees."

Norwich Bulletin: Public financing program popular, but needs fixing
Editorial on the Connecticut Citizens' Election Program: "We have long supported the voluntary public financing program and are pleased to see participation grow. Yet, we are extremely disappointed that seven years after it’s enactment that lawmakers continued to turn a blind eye to its flaws."

Here and Now: How Two Republican lawyers are defining money in politics...from opposite sides
What if Jim Bopp and Trevor Potter did a remake of the Odd Couple?

Congress/2012
WaPo: With more control over campaign cash, Obama gets more discounts on advertising
"While Mitt Romney relies heavily on massive amounts of cash held by the Republican Party and interest groups, Obama has more funds in his own campaign coffers. That allows him to make decisions about where and how to spend the money and to take better advantage of discounted ad rates, which candidates receive under federal law."

HuffPost: Sheldon Adelson: Investigation into his casinos by Justice Department is top reason for backing Romney
Ryan Grim on the Adelson interview with Politico: "In other words, Adelson is spending millions of dollars to curry political favor in the United States, hoping to fend off charges that he spent millions of dollars to curry political favor in Asia."

Guardian: 2012 US Campaigns have cost more than $4BN
"More than $4bn was spent on the presidential and congressional candidates and campaigns in the first 18 months of the election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission."

Roll Call: K Sreet follows lawmakers outside the beltway
"When Members of Congress left town to campaign last week, they weren't alone. Lobbyists and advocacy groups followed the lawmakers home to ramp up their own messaging, lest Congress forget about them during the fall campaign season."

CRP: Some states still up for grabs, but the money chase leads elsewhere
"Now, with less than seven weeks until Nov. 6, it's likely the candidates will look to their top fundraising states for some extra cash."

AP: Romney fundraiser planned Thursday in Hong Kong
"Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney plan a campaign fundraiser for him Thursday in Hong Kong, where U.S. business interests intersect with China's growing influence as a world financial superpower." House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy is expected to make an appearance.

Buzzfeed: Top Senate Republican snubs Akin during St. Louis fundraising trip
Mitch McConnell had no interest in talking to Todd Akin during a fundraising trip to St. Louis for his 2014 campaign. He cares more about himself than being majority leader? With the filibuster, he can just say no instead of taking leadership.

Forbes: Why Wall Street loves Romney
An interview with an Obama-turned Romney donor on Wall Street.

STL Public Radio: Missouri Democratic Party files complaint against Akin
Missouri Democrats suggest Todd Akin broke the law by coordinating with Jim DeMint's PAC. Politico.

HuffPost: NFIB exposed: "Voice of Small Business" is a front, group charges
"The left-leaning Center for Media and Democracy has posted on NFIBexposed.org, its new website, a study that reveals how consistently the NFIB lobbies on issues that favor large corporate interests rather than small-business interests; its thoroughly partisan agenda; and the millions it receives in secret contributions from groups associated with Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers."

CNN: Once controversial super PAC releases new ad
The Ending Spending Action Fund, which faced controversy over a proposed ad strategy bringing back Rev. Wright, is out with its first ad that obviously includes Artur Davis.

NYT: Super PAC and labor group team up in anti-Romney radio ad
More fallout for Romney from the 47% comments: "A Democratic super PAC is joining forces with a labor group to begin a $1.25 million radio ad campaign on Thursday that starts with a direct attack on Mitt Romney as an out-of-touch millionaire who has insulted nearly half of the country."

NPR: Citizens United benefits union campaigners
Peter Overby looks at the benefit to unions of the Citizens United decision and I think this guy sums it up: "Well, Citizens United is in our opinion a horrible Supreme Court decision. I think that goes without saying," but it allows their ground operation to operate more freely.

Mother Jones: Female mega-donors emerging this election year
Mother Jones looks at the women donors behind the Women Vote! PAC.

The Grio: How Democrats won the voter ID battle
"Won" may be overstating it, but still a good read: "But a strong alliance of activist organizations, the Obama administration and progressive media has largely blunted the impact of the laws, which range from requiring photo identification to vote to imposing fines on voter registration groups for turning in forms late. In nearly every battleground state, Democrats have successfully cast the laws as discriminatory and unnecessary and won in court, keeping in place largely the same voting laws that existed when Obama won in 2008."

Sunlight Foundation: No close call here: NFL donations tilt Republican
"Checking for contributions from the NFL's 32 teams, Sunlight found that employees, including players, owners and staff, have pumped over $1.5 million into the political sphere in 2011-12...Republicans received nearly three times as much from donors associated with football teams as did Democrats."

NaJo: The music lobbying wars have begun
"Pandora seems to have gotten out of the gate early on its lobbying efforts, and now the recording industry is gearing up for a fight."

Jackson Free Press: Raising and spending
Heh: "The way Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is raising campaign cash, you would think his opponent was former Vice President Al Gore, not retired preacher Albert N. Gore Jr."

Other/States
NYT: Cuomo backs Republican who lost primary after gay marriage vote
The one Republican who supported marriage equality who lost his primary may have a second life. Cuomo endorsed him for an indy run and "But the senator’s supporters in the gay-rights movement, including groups backed by the billionaire hedge fund manager Paul E. Singer and the philanthropist Tim Gill, promised to back him if he competed in the general election."

Sacramento Bee: Tobacco interests spent nearly $137 million in the past year to influence legislation policy and elections in California
"Tobacco interests spent a total of $49 million during the first 18 months of the 2011-2012 election cycle to influence elections, legislators and policies in California, according to a recent report by the American Lung Association in California's Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing."