groups cannot donor anonymity and less disclosure. this, in my view, has a slow corrupting impact on the system, because now you have a vehicle for millions of dollars of secret money. reporter: for all parties. but it s lopsided. 85% of the money spent by these groups last year was on the conservative side. obama and tester dug the hole. they want people in montana to pay the price. reporter: besides airing political ads, these groups say they deserve tax exempt status because they engage in education and advocacy efforts. social welfare means the group is working for betterment of our country or our society in some fashion. there are many ways to do this. i see political activity as really a tactic. it s not a purpose of the organization. reporter: david keating of the center for competitive politics, who wants less regulation, says these groups are just helping the political dialogue. as long as that s not a
85% of the money spent by these groups last year was on the conservative side. obama and tester dug the hole. they want people in montana to pay the price. reporter: besides airing political ads, these groups say they deserve tax exempt status because they engage in education and advocacy efforts. social welfare means the group is working for betterment of our country or our society in some fashion. there are many ways to do this. i see political activity as really a tactic. it s not a purpose of the organization. reporter: david keating of the center for competitive politics, who wants less regulation, says these groups are just helping the political dialogue. as long as that s not a majority of their effort or majority of their tactics, then they are a social welfare group. reporter: and that s the way it stands, at least for now. ironically, one of the most perverse results of the irs controversy is this, some of
eric: new allegations of election fraud are popping up almost every week but there is nothing new about shenanigans at the polls. it s an american tradition older than the nation itself. george washington the father of our country the man who could not tell a lie, a politician who bribed voters with booze. yes, washington himself was not above trying to steal an election back in 1758 when he ran for a seat in the virginia house. he was too busy being a colonel in the army and not busy enough getting out vote. the vice president of policy at the center for competitive politics and historian. it s kind of shocking to realize he went out and treated voters, compensated them with ale and meat and beer for voting. no wonder when you look at his receipts. he bought 158 gallons of booze
cheapest one, how about that? shannon bream is tracking this story live for us in washington. so, shannon, how does it compare to 2008? reporter: let s look at numbers. in 2008 entire gop primary field raised $310 million at end. january contest directly to the candidates. this time that number is less than half, roughly $147 million over the same time period. analysts say it isn t necessarily that donors are excited about politics but may not be excited about the gop presidential contenders. here is david keating president of the center for competitive politics. there is no evidence that donors aren t excited about elections. if you look at congressional elections compared to four years ago, donations are actually up about 30% and they re up about 50% for senate races. reporter: so seems for right now more money and excitement about the congressional races versus the presidential race at least for now. jenna. jenna: for now. that is good disclaimer at