Judge allows investigation of GOP fundraising platform to proceed

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit on Wednesday from GOP fundraising platform WinRed attempting to block four states from investigating the company’s fundraising practices. 

The attorneys general of New York, Connecticut, Maryland and Minnesota probed the platform over the use of pre-checked boxes to lock in donations to candidates and committees on a monthly or weekly basis, court filings say, according to CNN.

In response, WinRed sued in Minnesota to stop the investigations, maintaining that its practices are governed by federal campaign finance law, not state consumer protection laws.

However, U.S. District Court Chief Judge John Tunheim of Minnesota dismissed the case against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and others, saying that federal election law “does not preempt generally applicable state consumer protection laws merely because the state seeks to apply them to a federally registered political committee.”

Tunheim also dismissed the fundraising platform’s cases in Connecticut, Maryland and New York, noting that he does not have jurisdiction over the states.

“WinRed will appeal,” the company said in an email to CNN. 

WinRed launched in 2019 as a counterpart to the Democratic fundraising platform, ActBlue. Both make it easier for donors to give directly to candidates without having to write a check or go through a unique donation portal for a candidate.

WinRed raised $559 million last year, including $158 million in the fourth quarter alone. 

The Hill has reached out to WinRed for comment.