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Person

Trevor Potter

Occupation:

Lawyer
Former Chairman:

Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Former General Counsel:

John McCain Presidential Campaign (2000, 2008)
Founder and President:

Campaign Legal Center (CLC)
Task Force Member:

National Task Force on Election Crises

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Trevor Potter is a lawyer and the president and founder of the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a legal advocacy group that advocates for stricter campaign finance laws and more lenient voting laws. 1 2

He has served as the chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC). He worked extensively with the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on his presidential campaigns and was an adviser to the drafting of the McCain-Feingold federal campaign finance law. 3

Potter is a “Task Force Member” of the National Task Force on Election Crises, a nonprofit advocacy group which calls for left-of-center-aligned changes to the U.S. election system. 4

Career

Potter worked as a Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney from 1982 to 1984 and then as assistant general counsel at the Federal Communications Commission from 1984 to 1985. 5 From 1988 to 1991, Potter worked at Wiley Rein and Fielding law firm as a legal partner. He then became a commissioner for the FEC in 1991, after being confirmed by the Senate. During this tenure, he gained experience in campaign finance law which he would use in his future endeavors. He served as the Vice Chairman of the FEC’s Finance Committee and chairman of its Regulations Task Force through 1992. He then was elected commission Vice Chairman of the FEC in 1993 and Chairman in 1994. 6 7 8

Potter, a Republican, was the general counsel to John McCain’s presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2008. 9 He had previously served as deputy general counsel to George H.W. Bush’s 1988 campaign. 10 Potter was an adviser to drafters of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, otherwise known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001. 11 Potter has worked at the Caplin and Drysdale law firm since 2000, becoming the head of its Political Law Practice in 2001. He retained this position until 2020, when he transitioned to a limited role as a member at the firm. 12 13

In 2002, Potter founded and became president of the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a nonprofit advocacy group focused on campaign finance law. 14 CLC advocates for “fairly drawn” district maps that acknowledge the “will of the people” and voting procedures that do not discriminate based on race, geography, or class. 15 16

In 2011, Potter worked with Stephen Colbert of “The Colbert Report” on a segment criticizing Super PACs after the Citizens United landmark Supreme Court decision, for which Colbert won a Peabody Award. 17 Potter acted as Colbert’s lawyer: he drafted a Federal Election Commission Advisory Opinion Request, attended hearings with Colbert, and showed how money could be hidden from public view after a PAC is closed. 18

Membership Positions and Fellowships

Potter was involved with the “Resolution of Election Disputes” project at the American Law Institute. 19 He is a nonresident senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. 20

Potter is a “Task Force Member” of the National Task Force on Election Crises, a nonprofit advocacy group which calls for “critical preventative reforms” to the U.S. election system. 21 The task force holds that President Donald Trump “badly damaged the perception of election legitimacy” and directly caused the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021. It also believes there is a widespread effort to disenfranchise voters, and that election administrators were key players in mitigating “a crisis” during the 2020 election. 22

Potter has an active Twitter account which he uses to post thoughts and information regarding legislation, Campaign Legal Center’s advocacy, and current events. 23

References

  1. “Trevor Potter.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/staff/trevor-potter.
  2. “About.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/about.
  3. “Trevor Potter.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/staff/trevor-potter.
  4. “About.” National Task Force on Election Crises. https://www.electiontaskforce.org/about.
  5.  [1] “Trevor Potter.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/trevor-potter/.
  6. “Trevor Potter – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-potter-9336354/details/experience/.
  7. “Trevor Potter.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/staff/trevor-potter.
  8. “Trevor Potter.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/trevor-potter/.
  9. “Trevor Potter.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/staff/trevor-potter.
  10. [1] “Trevor Potter.” Conference Board. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.conference-board.org/bio/index.cfm?bioid=6608.
  11. “Trevor Potter.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/staff/trevor-potter.
  12. “Trevor Potter – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-potter-9336354/details/experience/.
  13. “Trevor Potter.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/staff/trevor-potter.
  14. “Trevor Potter – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-potter-9336354/details/experience/.
  15. “Redistricting.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/issues/redistricting.
  16. “Voting Rights.” Campaign Legal Center. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://campaignlegal.org/issues/voting-rights.
  17. The Colbert Report – Super Pac Segments.” Peabody Awards, 2011. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/the-colbert-report-super-pac-segments/.
  18.  Potter, Trevor. “Here’s what I learned when I helped Stephen Colbert set up his Super PAC.” The Washington Post, 21 January 2015. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/21/heres-what-i-learned-when-i-helped-stephen-colbert-set-up-his-super-pac/.
  19. “Principles of Election Law: Resolution of Election Disputes.” The American Law Institute. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407084836/http://www.ali.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=projects.members&projectid=24.
  20. [1] “Trevor Potter.” Brookings. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/author/trevor-potter/.
  21. “About.” National Task Force on Election Crises. Accessed 1 May 2022. https://www.electiontaskforce.org/about.
  22.  [1] “About.” National Task Force on Election Crises. Accessed 1 May 2022. https://www.electiontaskforce.org/about.
  23. “Trevor Potter.” Twitter. Accessed 9 May 2022. https://twitter.com/thetrevorpotter?lang=en.
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