Some Republicans, most notably Ken Blackwell, have attempted to link Barack Obama to allegations of voter fraud by ACORN.[57] The Obama campaign has strongly denied these accusations via their website and pointed to Blackwell's involvement in the irregularities reported in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election.[58].

During the debate on the bailout bill (the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008), some conservative commentators claimed that a draft provision (omitted in the adopted bill) to give money to funds run by the US Department of the Treasury could potentially lead to money flowing to groups like ACORN.[59][4] When asked how much money ACORN or other community groups would get, Steven Adamske, spokesman for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the Financial Services Committee said, "None. Absolutely none. All funds would go to state and local governments."[5]

In October 2008, the John McCain campaign released a web-based ad suggesting ACORN was partly responsible for the 2008 economic crisis. ACORN pushed back on this accusation via its website, calling the spot "a smear ad".[60] On October 13, ACORN released a picture of Senator McCain attending an ACORN immigration forum to Politico. [61]