ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's pair of U.S. Senate runoffs have prompted hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending, but the low-profile runoff for the state's Public Service Commission is no...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislators can no longer spend campaign committee dollars toward buying or renting homes or condos that they or family members own -- a practice that powerful...

HONOLULU (AP) — First-time political candidates Keith Amemiya and Rick Blangiardi reported the largest war chests for this year’s Honolulu mayor’s race.

BOSTON (AP) — A congressional committee is investigating U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan's campaign spending.

The U.S. House Committee on Ethics said Monday it hopes to complete its investigation by...

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats unveiled broad legislation Tuesday to protect the country's elections as they investigate whether President Donald Trump inappropriately solicited foreign...

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina lawmaker said it's time to forgive a former state senator who resigned amid a campaign spending scandal and give him the recognition he...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Candidates running for office in California could use campaign donations to pay for childcare costs under legislation approved by the state Assembly on...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Campaign spending reached a state record of $93 million during Wisconsin's 2018 gubernatorial race between Republican Scott Walker and Democrat Tony Evers, according to a watchdog group's review.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island Republicans are accusing the state Democratic Party of violating campaign spending caps, but the Democrats say that's not true.

The GOP filed a complaint Thursday with the state elections board over a $100,000 in-kind contribution the Democratic Party made to Gov. Gina Raimondo's campaign for printing mailers and postage.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Early voting is underway for the Nov. 6 general election in Tennessee, with contested, open races for governor and U.S. Senate at the top of the ballot.

The two statewide contests have brought a surge in midterm turnout so far, with 720,600 early and absentee ballots cast through Wednesday.

Voters will also make their picks for the U.S. House and the Republican-led General Assembly.

BOSTON (AP) — Democratic candidate for governor Jay Gonzalez will receive about $542,000 in matching public funds for the remainder of his general election campaign.

Under Massachusetts' public financing law, statewide candidates who agree to a campaign spending cap can receive matching contributions from the State Election Campaign Fund, which is funded by a voluntary taxpayer checkoff on income tax returns.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota state representative is alleging that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar misspent $3,000 in campaign money on personal travel.

Republican Rep. Steve Drazkowski is questioning Omar's campaign purchase of a plane ticket to Estonia and another to Boston to speak at a political rally. Omar's congressional campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Campaign spending has accelerated in the political race for governor of New Mexico, with two candidates spending a combined $2.6 million over a four-week period.

Campaign finance reports filed Monday show that Democratic candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham spent $1.6 million in the four-week period ending Oct. 1. Her campaign raised more than $1.1 million in contributions, more than twice that of Republican rival Steve Pearce.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma candidates have spent $33 million running for state offices so far in this election cycle, with nearly half of the money going toward the governor's race.

HONOLULU (AP) — The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission fined more than 80 candidates running for elected office in the state for violating campaign finance laws.

Most of the violations are related to a law requiring candidates to disclose advertisement spending within 24 hours of entering a contract, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Democratic Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo continues to outspend her rivals for re-election by a wide margin, while Republican Allan Fung remains the financial leader of the GOP primary.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo is expected to spend $6.2 million on her re-election campaign through the end of the year.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — In a story July 17 about a right-to-work ballot initiative, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the three groups defending right-to-work spent more than $2 million during the last quarter. They spent more than $1 million, combined.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Unions pour millions into Missouri to fight right-to-work

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An unprecedented amount of money from independent allies helped boost contenders in Idaho's primary election.

More than $1.2 million was spent on so-called independent expenditures by wealthy donors in the final weeks leading up to May 15, according to a review of the latest campaign disclosure reports. In comparison, third-party donors spent just $296,000 in 2016 on independent expenditures during the primary campaign and around $361,000 in 2014 during the same time frame.

BOSTON (AP) — The race for governor is shaping up to be the most lopsided in Massachusetts history when it comes to campaign war chests — and a state program aimed at rewarding candidates who volunteer to rein in spending isn't likely to make much a dent in the disparity.

Elections officials this week announced that nine Massachusetts candidates running for statewide office have opted to participate in the state's public financing program.

BOSTON (AP) — Nine Massachusetts candidates running for statewide office are participating in the state's public financing program.

State election officials said Tuesday the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates Jay Gonzalez and Bob Massie and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Lively have agreed to spending limits and are first in line to receive state funds.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Races for the Kansas Legislature and other state offices this year will be flooded with campaign spending from third-party organizations that can spend unlimited amounts of money without having to disclose their donor lists.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Providence television station is reporting that Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello's political action committee failed to file required reports while it was spending tens of thousands of dollars on the speaker's 2016 campaign.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Some Alabama legislators have received subpoenas for campaign finance records in what appears to be an attorney general's review of campaign spending.

At least two lawmakers confirmed to The Associated Press that they had received subpoenas from the attorney general's office for campaign spending records — but expressed confidence they had done nothing wrong. Another alluded to a subpoena in a social media post.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Some Alabama legislators have received subpoenas for campaign finance records in what appears to be an attorney general's review of campaign spending.

At least two lawmakers confirmed to The Associated Press that they had received subpoenas from the attorney general's office. They said they believed the focus was on the use of credit cards in campaigns and making sure all card purchases were campaign related.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from an advocacy group that ran ads attacking former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith as he was running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2014.

Oct. 4

Los Angeles Times on voters deserving to know who's paying for political campaigns

A typical political ad for a ballot measure in California might include something like this: "Paid for by Yes on Proposition 99 — Good Jobs and Safe Streets, with major funding by People for Good Jobs and Safe Streets."

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill is investing in fundraising and campaign management more than a year before voters will decide whether to keep her in office.

McCaskill in 2018 likely will face Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is favored among some big-name Missouri Republicans to take on the Democratic incumbent.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Latest on a federal investigators searching offices of a consultant to U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter's congressional campaign (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

The firm that managed finances for California Republican Duncan Hunter's congressional campaign confirms that the FBI searched its offices.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — As Alabama Sen. Luther Strange tries to beat back a slate of firebrand challengers in the GOP primary, his campaign spending and fundraising is dwarfing that of the competition, according to reports filed in July.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's chief political watchdog has ruled that a state Republican Party campaign committee failed to comply with an earlier ruling requiring it to provide better detail about electioneering activities in last fall's legislative elections.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Newly released election data show the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor broke a campaign spending record with more than $42.5 million spent in this year's primary.

The Election Law Enforcement Commission on Wednesday published the latest reports compiled after the June 6 primary.

The reports show that wealthy Democratic nominee Phil Murphy spent $21.7 million, nearly four times as much as the other Democrats combined.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Campaign spending ahead of Thursday's special election to fill Montana's only U.S. House seat continued to surge deep into record territory, with at least $17 million flowing into the race from the campaigns and outside groups hoping to influence the nationally watched contest.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois State Board of Elections imposed a $5,000 fine Monday on a defunct campaign fundraising account linked to Auditor General Frank Mautino, the stiffest fine allowed by law though it likely will never be collected because the committee has dissolved.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republicans are moving to erase Minnesota's public campaign subsidies, which could reshape the fundraising fight in next year's gubernatorial election and unleash more money into statewide and local elections.

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois State Board of Elections hearing officer is expected to issue a recommendation next month regarding allegations that the state's auditor general violated campaign finance disclosure laws while serving as a Democratic state representative.

Hours of testimony were heard Thursday on the issue of whether Frank Mautino's now-defunct campaign committee must update spending reports to provide additional details about how money was spent.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Republican bill in Tennessee that would exempt churches from having to report campaign spending on "public or private morality" has been withdrawn.

On Tuesday, Sen. Dolores Gresham of Somerville withdrew the bill from consideration for the rest of the year.

Gresham's bill says the issues would include measures related to alcohol, drugs, abortion, marriage or gambling.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Elected officials in Mississippi would no longer be able to use campaign money to subsidize their lifestyles or build retirement nest eggs under a bill likely to become law.

Senators sent Senate Bill 2689 to Gov. Phil Bryant on Wednesday. Only Sen. Juan Barnett, D-Heidelberg, voted against the measure.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Republican state senator wants to change Tennessee election finance law to exempt churches from having to report campaign spending on "public or private morality."

The bill sponsored by Sen. Dolores Gresham of Somerville says those issues would include measures related to alcohol, drugs, abortion, marriage or gambling.

Referendums are often held in Tennessee cities and counties on whether to allow supermarket wine sales, liquor-by-the-drink sales or package stores.