In Gainesville, Fla., a Democratic candidate for city commissioner, Helen Warren, employed a campaign manager who was also the registered agent for an independent group that raised money for Ms. Warren from donors who had already given the maximum to her campaign. Ms. Warren went on to win a close runoff against another Democrat.
It’s no secret that candidates for president, governor and Congress have benefited from the torrent of money that has flooded elections since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited spending by corporations and labor unions that are supposedly independent of a candidate’s campaign.