First Corporate Political Ad Appears

A real-estate company based in Texas is the first corporation to exercise its newly granted corporate right to fund political ads since the Supreme Court overturned a century-old spending ban for corporations and unions. According to The Texas Tribune, KDR Development Inc. ran ads in two local papers attacking the GOP credibility of Rep. Chuck Hopson, an incumbent Democrat who had switched parties and joined the GOP last November—but to no avail. Hopson garnered 61 percent of votes in a primary against two other Republicans this month. In 2006, Hopson beat KDR's current president, Larry Durrett. "I think we're on solid legal ground," Durrett said of the ads. "We checked it out every way from Sunday." The ads asked voters to cast a ballot for either of the two Republicans running against Hopson.