Kevin Glandon

Kevin Glandon

Kevin Glandon is an associate in the firm’s government affairs, litigation, and white collar defense and investigations practice groups.  Glandon advises a wide range of clients regarding the Federal Election Campaign Act and FEC regulations; state and SEC pay-to-play restrictions; federal and state campaign finance, gift, and lobbying laws; and U.S. House and Senate ethics rules.

Subscribe to all posts by Kevin Glandon

How Pay-to-Play Laws Are Changing Elections

By Kevin Glandon and Zachary G. Parks on Posted in Campaign Finance, Pay-to-Play
Obscure pay-to-play rules are having a big impact on U.S. elections.  In an article in today’s The Hill, we examine how these little understood rules provide institutional fundraising advantages for certain candidates at the expense of others.  We also point out how these laws are changing the operational rules of the road, forcing candidates to … Continue Reading

New York City Pay to Play and Other Campaign Finance Violations Haunt Candidate

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, City Pay-to-Play, Enforcement, Lobbying Compliance, Pay-to-Play
During the 2012 election cycle, we cautioned that campaign finance problems can haunt candidates long after the election is over.  Case in point:  As the New York Daily News reports, the New York City Campaign Finance Board recently voted to impose $72,402 in penalties for violations of 15 different campaign finance restrictions, including accepting contributions … Continue Reading

FEC Moves to Reconsider Scope of “Spouse” In Light of Supreme Court Decision Striking Down DOMA

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Litigation, State Law
As we recently predicted the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act is prompting the FEC to reconsider, and likely revise, its decision in an earlier Advisory Opinion, 2013-02 (“Winslow I”), that the definition of “spouse” under federal election law did not apply to same-sex … Continue Reading

Paying to Play in the Name of Another (Allegedly)

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Corporate Political Spending Disclosure, Enforcement, Government Ethics, Pay-to-Play, State Law, State Pay-to-Play
Recently, we noted a pay-to-play scandal in Pennsylvania that resulted in multiple arrests.  This week, New Jersey’s Attorney General charged seven executives or shareholders of Birdsall Services Group, an engineering firm.  The alleged Birdsall scheme illustrates the ease with which pay-to-play violations and campaign finance violations can mix. Pay-to-play laws typically restrict or prohibit public … Continue Reading

Lessons from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Pay to Play Scandal

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Enforcement, Government Ethics, Pay-to-Play, State Law, State Pay-to-Play
We can learn two important lessons from the recent Pennsylvania Turnpike pay to play scandal.  The first of these lessons is straightforward, but important:  beware of providing benefits to public officials who can influence contracting or regulatory decisions impacting your company.  The second—and less intuitive—lesson, which has been lost amidst the furor over the scandal, … Continue Reading

Straw Contributors and Corporate Contributions

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Enforcement
Corporations can engage in political activity.  But they must be careful how they do so; corporations still face restrictions, such as the prohibition on making contributions to federal candidates.  As we have seen, following a line of cases culminating in Citizens United, corporations may give unlimited sums to Super PACs.  They may also contribute to … Continue Reading

FEC Commissioner Bauerly To Step Down

By Robert Lenhard and Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Enforcement
Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly of the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) announced to Commission staff today that she will be leaving the agency effective February 1. What does this mean for business before the FEC?  As a practical matter, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the FEC’s day-to-day business.  It is not uncommon for … Continue Reading

Posting Videos of Candidates Speaking to Your Organization Could Violate Federal Law

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Enforcement
Most businesses are careful not to post confidential proprietary information on the public face of their website.  But is there any reason to avoid posting video clips of speeches by public figures at an annual conference that contain no proprietary information?  It turns out there is, if the public figures are candidates for federal office. … Continue Reading

New Frontiers for Pay-to-Play Laws in the Next Election Cycle

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Enforcement, Government Ethics, Pay-to-Play, State Law, State Pay-to-Play
Pay-to-play laws, which now exist at the federal, state, and local levels, generally restrict or require disclosure of political contributions by firms seeking to do business with the government.  Hedge funds, private equity funds, and asset management firms are particularly sensitive to such restrictions because of their reliance on investments from state and local government … Continue Reading

FEC Complaints Build as Elections Loom

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Enforcement
On October 3, we examined recent allegations of campaign finance violations in Massachusetts and Arizona as illustrations of why campaigns and other organizations must be particularly careful during the final days of the election season.  Just over the past week, we have seen a flurry of additional FEC complaint filings reinforcing the need to take … Continue Reading

Allegations of Illegal Coordination: Not Only Do Elections Have Consequences, Tactics May Also

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance, Enforcement, State Law
Several recent news reports are a reminder of the importance of the coordination rules.  The relaxed rules on raising and spending money on “independent expenditures,” either through a Super PAC or some other entity, are premised on that spending being “independent” of the candidate or political party the independent spender is supporting.  There is not … Continue Reading

“Electioneering Communications” Virtually Vanish in Wake of Van Hollen Decision

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance
On March 30, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a decision in Van Hollen v. FEC striking down the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) regulation that limited disclosure of donors to those who gave specifically for the purpose of funding “electioneering communications.”  Electioneering communications are broadcast ads that reference a clearly identified federal … Continue Reading

New FEC Advisory Opinion Request: A Window into the Next Generation of Fundraising?

By Kevin Glandon on Posted in Campaign Finance
Does a recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) advisory opinion request point to the next generation of fundraising structure for campaigns, political committees, and issue advocacy groups?  We have already seen Super PACs join together to take advantage of the joint fundraising committee (JFC) structure.  Now, American Future Fund (AFF) and American Future Fund Political Action … Continue Reading
LexBlog