Skip to content
RollCall logo

Video

What is McConnelling? How campaigns skirt coordination laws to help PACs make ads

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as he appears in 2014 campaign footage. A segment from “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” dubbed the practice of posting such video for use by outside political groups as “McConnelling” (Screenshot Mitch McConnell for Senate/YouTube).
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as he appears in 2014 campaign footage. A segment from “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” dubbed the practice of posting such video for use by outside political groups as “McConnelling” (Screenshot Mitch McConnell for Senate/YouTube).
By Nathan L. Gonzales and Thomas McKinless
Posted June 6, 2019 at 4:22pm

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell electrified the nation in 2014 when he released 2 minutes and 22 seconds of high-definition footage of himself smiling and going about his day.

Now, more and more campaigns are getting in on “McConnelling”: skirting campaign coordination laws by posting public footage of a candidate that PACs can use to make positive ads. Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales is here to explain McConnelling, a term coined five years ago on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”

[jwp-video n=”1″]

Recent Stories

Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democratic candidate for Senate, greets people at a Latinos Unidos softball game in Lawrence, Mass., on Aug. 16. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Seth Moulton pushes for ‘new generation’ of leaders but clock is ticking

At the Races: No breaks for Dems

President Donald Trump waves the green flag to start the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in downtown Washington, D.C., on Sunday as first lady Melania Trump and Donald Trump Jr. look on. (Doug Mills/Getty Images)

After profane repost slamming GOP, Trump heads to Texas-sized fundraiser

Capitol Police have responded to multiple incidents involving weapons near the Capitol this year, including a guillotine spotted this week.

Man arrested with guillotine near Capitol told officers it was ‘the real deal’

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., talks with reporters in the Capitol this month.

Cassidy says abortion pill makers turn blind eye to safety

CEO of Meta Platforms Mark Zuckerberg attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference at the Sun Valley Lodge on July 9 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Kids law needed beyond Meta settlement, backers say