http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/12/breaking_fec_says_no_to_matching_edwards_actblue_funds.phpBreaking: FEC Says No To Matching Edwards ActBlue Funds
By Greg Sargent - December 14, 2007, 3:51PM
The Edwards campaign has been notified that the Federal Election Commission has decided to deny matching funds for contributions collected for him by ActBlue, upholding its earlier draft opinion and rebuffing the Edwards camp's request that the funds be matched.
Edwards campaign spokesman Eric Schultz sends over the following statement:
"Although today's decision by the FEC is a setback to the progressive grassroots movement, our campaign has all of the resources it needs to aggressively make our case to voters. Even without the ActBlue contributions included, we will meet our projected $10 million in matching funds."
Though the Edwards camp didn't budget for the matching funds, the move will deprive them of needed funds going into the early voting. And it is a big disappointment to progressives who had mounted a pressure campaign against the FEC, arguing that grassroots contributions such as those collected through ActBlue should be matchable, just as funds collected by lobbyists and special interests are.