Of the $1.9 million spent this cycle by “outside groups” to affect Arizona elections, $565,000 – or about 30 percent – comes with no disclosure of the source of the money.

With just one week until Arizona’s primary election, political spending to affect legislative races paid for by outside groups that don’t disclose the source of the money amounts to almost half a million dollars.

The organizer of a bid to quash a new state law easing rules on anonymous "dark money'' donations in political races has folded his tent.

The Federal Election Commission levied nearly a quarter-million dollars’ worth of fines against three dark money groups for failing to report contributions from an organization run by Sean Noble after the Arizona political operative inadvertently disclosed the alleged violations in a 2014 interview.

A complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service against a “dark money” group that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the 2014 governor’s race appears to provide a stark example of the way new campaign finance laws could bar Arizona election officials from punishing a violation, even when it’s right in front of their faces.

This is why the courts exist

Arizonans could get the last word on whether to uphold or reject newly enacted campaign finance laws that would allow more “dark money” to flow into state elections.

A planned citizen referendum to reverse legislation that would make it easier to spend dark money in Arizona may be about to become twice as difficult.

The so-called “kingmaker” provision in a controversial campaign finance law that takes effect later this year may have to be downgraded to “princemaker” status, thanks to a proposed change being considered by lawmakers.

Under S1516, some candidates are more equal than others