She founded her firm in 2001 and it has worked for clients such as the super PAC American Crossroads, which Ed Gillespie, the GOP nominee for governor, helped GOP strategist Karl Rove conceive of in 2010.

Vogel often describes herself on the campaign stump as “an ethics attorney.”

What her law firm specializes in, however, includes helping dark money nonprofits establish themselves and spend money in politics from anonymous donors.

“The bottom line is, somebody hires my firm to make absolutely sure that they do not get in trouble,” Vogel said in an interview this spring. When asked about groups that have criticized her firm, she said, “There’s always the other side who doesn’t like your group.”

Included in that other side are organizations like Common Cause, which wants to reduce the influence of money in politics. Why? A well-informed electorate, said Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation.

Elected officials will behave in manners consistent with those who have supported them financially, he said, and even the U.S. Supreme Court with a conservative majority has acknowledged the public interest in voters knowing who is spending money to try to influence their opinion.