Why We Don't Know Who is Behind Attack Ads

Three reasons why identity of donors is elusive in GOP gubernatorial race

For weeks, the four leading candidates for the GOP nomination for Governor have been hit with a barrage of mailed flyers, emails and text messages. While we know the names of the four PACs taking credit for the attacks, little is known about who is funding the $1 million effort. Here are three reasons for the lack of transparency:

1: Federal PAC disclosures don't sync with Virginia's election calendar

Two of the four PACs are independent expenditure committees that registered earlier this year with the Federal Election Commission. Under Virginia law, federal PACs are not required to disclose their donors to the Virginia Department of Elections. The idea is that state disclosures would be duplicative.

But there is a disconnect between the FEC disclosure schedules and Virginia's state election calendar. Virginia elections take place in odd-numbered years, which are off-years in federal elections. This means federal PACs can choose to file as infrequently as twice a year.

2: PACs report getting money from other PACs, which in turn don't disclose until AFTER the election is over

One of the groups, Virginia Cornerstone PAC, registered as a PAC with the Virginia Department of Elections and filed a first quarter disclosure report and subsequent disclosures anytime it received donations of $10,000 or more.

So far, however, Virginia Cornerstone has listed only two donors -- both of them PACs registered outside of Virginia. Neither of these PACs -- Better Jobs Coalition, a state PAC in Colorado; and Americans for Limited Government, a Fairfax-based federal PAC -- have a disclosure scheduled before the May 8 GOP convention.

3: It can be hard to draw a bright line from any one donor in Virginia

The anti-tax Club for Growth Action raises donations from across the nation. There are so many donors, it's hard to connect any one donor to the $284,415 it has spent attacking Kirk Cox and Amanda Chase.

Source: Campaign finance disclosures and documents on file with the Federal Election Commission, the Virginia Department of Elections and the Colorado Secretary of State.