Democratic Candidates for Michigan House Are Tapping Into National Campaign Fund-raising Networks Bigtime
Question 1): Lansing-based newsletter MIRS reported a week ago that 18 of the top 20 House Democratic incumbents and challengers raised more campaign cash than their Republican opponents in the last reporting period back on July 27, due in no small part to their ability to tap into contributions from a web of out-of-state donors (See MIRS, “No Dems In Danger Outraised By Republican Challengers,” 7/26/24).
Simon Schuster of Bridge magazine has reported that, in the post-primary campaign finance filings on Thursday, all the above and more has been confirmed, in spades.
From Florida to Washington, individuals gave as much as the maximum individual donation of $1,225 to as little as $1 and various small amounts to the Democratic House candidates, MIRS said.
To illustrate the impact of these national networks, MIRS looked into the pre-primary campaign donation records of four similarly situated House candidates in competitive districts –- Rylee LINTING (R-Grosse Ile) in HD 27; Janise O’Neil ROBINSON (D-Woodhaven) in HD 28; Dan MAHONEY (D-Jackson) in HD 46; and Karl BOHNAK (R-Negaunee)) in HD 109.
All four candidates –- two Republicans and two Democrats –- are facing incumbents in November in districts MIRS deemed in its last ranking as among the 10 most likely to flip in the Nov. 5 general election (See “Updated Top 10 House Districts Most Likely To Flip,” 9/8/24).
The numbers showed that, of the more than $70,000 Mahoney raised, 47% of that total dollar amount and more than 85% of the individual donations came from out-of state donors. Bohnak, on the other hand, raised only 1% of his $51,782 total from outside Michigan.
Linting raised $23,167, with a puny $100 total coming from out of state (0.5%). Two-thirds of Linting’s funds came from in-district.
Robinson raised some $120,000 from an incredible 792 individual donations (Linting, in comparison, had only 87 total individual contributions). About half of Robinson’s donations came from Michigan donors who do not reside in her county. The other 40% were from out of state, while only 10% came from in-district.
Meanwhile, the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) has reserved $14.2 million in paid media from now until Election Day for at least 20 of its candidates, based on information gleaned from AdImpact. But, clearly, it’s the geographical origin of the dollars the Democrats have locked in that is even more interesting than the total.
Four example, four candidates –- first term Reps. Jaime CHURCHES (D-Wyandotte), Reggie MILLER (D-Belleville) and Denise MENTZER (D-Mount Clemens) and 46th HD candidate MAHONEY –- are each receiving close to $2 million in reserved DSCC airtime as of last week. Mahoney is getting the most, at $1.967 million, in his bid to unseat Rep. Kathy SCHMALTZ (R-Jackson). The three incumbents have $1.919 million reserved for them.
The number is on top of what the three have committed to putting on air. Churches is putting in $2.239 million, giving her roughly $4 million in available media time. Miller has more, $2.56 million, that she’s prepared to spend, raising the total that could be spent in support of her candidacy to around $4.5 million.
Mentzer has $1.75 million on top of the DSCC’s money, giving her $3.7 million in reserved airtime.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jenn HILL (D-Marquette) is being allocated $1.035 million in DSCC money in the 109th District. Her campaign has $1.035 million that it reserved for local TV. Hill is among the top 11 fundraisers for the House Democrats.
Later in the week, MIRS reported that maybe Republicans aren’t yet dead in the water, although what’s filling their coffers is way too too little at this point compared with the Democrats.
The good news for the GOP is that, thanks to the state House Republican Campaign Committee, several Republican candidates have nearly doubled their ad reservations from between $2,000 and $5,000 to between $4,000 and $10,000. They include Tom KUHN (R-Troy), Steele, Mark TISDEL (R-Rochester Hills), Miller’s opponent Dale BINIEKCI, Haadsma’s opponent Steve FRISBIE, Shannon’s opponent Ron ROBINSON, and Mentzer’s opponent Rob WOTJOWICZ.
Jamie THOMPSON (R-Brownstown) has gone from about $1,300 in ad reservations to $2,782 since MIRS last reported on the spending.
Bottom line: How unusual is all this? Do Republicans have a chance to compete with the Democrats’ monster advantage in campaign cash?
Answer 1): No. The Democrats’ ability to raise outside money from donors who have no real idea whom they’re giving to in a distant state has never been seen before. It’s not just unusual, it’s unprecedented. Michigan Democrats are garnering a huge majority of their donations in small dollar amounts from outside the state, and cumulatively that adds up to an overwhelming impact.
The candidates who are taking advantage of the network are challengers and incumbents alike, and the challengers aren’t always the ones the House Democratic caucus is targeting, either. Lower-tier candidates, such as Michelle LEVINE-WOODMAN (D-Macomb Twp) in HD 62 or Kyle WRIGHT (D-Taylor) in HD 29, are taking advantage of this network, even if they’re not tapping into more than 1,000 contributors, as is Shadia MARTINI (D-Bloomfield Hills) in HD 54, one of the Democrats’ better pickup opportunities.
MIRS asked state House Republican political consultant Stu SANDLER for his opinion. Sandler acknowledges that, in the last few election cycles, Democrats have ramped up their ability to tap into a large national network of funds called ‘Act Blue’. He said Democrats have been far more successful in garnering online donations than their Republican counterparts.
Sandler says that “The digital fundraising ecosystem for Democrats has been more advanced and more robust. Republicans are trying to catch up with ‘Win Red,’ but the Democrats have been around for longer and their operation goes further.’
There’s every reason to be skeptical that House Republicans are going to come up with money at any point that rivals what the Democrats are doing.
And Democrats in Michigan and nationally are having it both ways. They have their cake, and they’re eating it, too.
It is Democrats who, after the historic 2010 Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, have decried the use of BIG MONEY (both ‘dark’ and otherwise) in political campaigns. Democrats have assumed the mantle of the ‘reform’ party, claiming that Citizens United gave the GOP an instant boost in fundraising because Republicans could immediately begin raking in contributions from ‘billionaires’ and Wall Street and ‘big money’ interests that were out of reach of the ‘little guy’s’ party (the Democrats).
Ironically, that’s proving to be the exact opposite of what has happened. Democrats have developed a plan to tap into campaign donations, from both large and small donors, that Republicans have been unable to match. The GOP, on the other hand, has been more supportive of the Citizens United decision on philosophical ‘free speech’ grounds but has proven far less capable than the Democrats in taking advantage of it.
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Will Act Blue’s donations diminish now that they have agreed with Texas AG Paxton to record CVV codes on all credit card donations?
No more indigent patients in memory care donating tens of thousands of dollars a month to Democratic candidates?
Did you read that conspiracy theory on twitter?
The FEC is about three years behind in their enforcement actions, and paralyzed by partisan ‘balance.’ However, even it is starting to investigate Act Blue’ antics. SoS Benson, of course, is doing nothing.
The Federal Election Commission just slapped a $3,300 fine on Act Blue for facilitating excessive contributions during the 2020 cycle. The excess cash came from 19 individual donors and was “not refunded, reattributed, or transferred to the non-federal account within the permissible timeframe,” according to documents. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Why the state level AG investigations will be necessary to eventually rein in Act Blue.
19 state Attorneys General are now investigating Act Blue to determine whether Democrats have used this finance vehicle to launder foreign money or claim donations in people’s names without their permission, a practice known as ‘smurfing’.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird co-leads the 19 state coalition with Indiana. You can read her October 1st interrogatory letter to ActBlue on her web site. It describes in detail the Act Blue practices discovered this far.
We can hope that fraud stops. This is certainly more than a “theory.” There are video interviews with the so-called donors.
“ActBlue donation legitimacy issue is escalating, with attorney generals from Texas, Wyoming, Missouri, Virginia, and two anonymous states launching investigations into the organization’s questionable fundraising practices.”
https://youtu.be/vB6ztr6R2OE?si=bC7CKGWNZrAmL_bM
True source of the funds is the big question.
Several points:
(A) conservative political action committees are financing bulk mailings on their own that have helped conservative Republican candidates – Ron Robinson in his contested GOP primary beat another Republican candidate and won because of this arrangement and he is going on to oppose Democrat Nate Shannon on November 5th.
In 2022, Michelle Smith, who never held office before and received very little outside support from the Michigan Republican Party, garnered 49% of the vote in Shannon’s district against Shannon – which chiefly covers Sterling Heights.
(B) Rylee Linting is running in House District 27 where Bob Howey- a well-known architectural firm owner – narrowly lost as a GOP nominee in two prior elections.
Linting is a 22-year old college student who defeated Meshawn Maddock’s son at the 2022 Michigan Republican Convention to be the Youth Vice-Chair for the state party. She has worked on a numberof successful campaigns, including that of Congressman John James, and is considered to be a rising star in GOP circles in Michigan.
Unlike Howey – who largely self-funded – Linting is relying chiefly on grassroots support but did well in the August GOP primary, winning by a landslide.
Good points, all of them.
It should also be noted that the Michigan Republicans state party have received literally millions in donations after Pete Hoekstra took over as chairman – the cash had slowed to a trickle under the Kristina Karamo “leadership”.
Rylee Linting was one of the few bright spots at the 2022 MIGOP convention – she has been an asset to the party.
Bill, so if I’m reading your article correctly, the funding rules have been agreed to between the parties for 14 years (which sorta agrees with my more than faulty memory these days). And the uptake would be that the GOP has been pretty much MIA for those 14 years . . . yep, what I thought. All while external slug fests between the Snyder Admin. and the Dem courts as well as internal slug fests between establishment and Trumper GOPers drained all the MIGOP energy. No adjustments.
Yep, explains a lot. Hail Caesar!
Thanks again Bill
Nice article, Bill. Another reminder, in case we’ve forgotten, that money is the mother’s milk of politics.
Once again, the GOP’s donor class has either been asleep at the switch; or they don’t care; or they’ve switched sides; or they’re afraid of offending the other side; or they are still deep in the throes of an extended temper tantrum over Donald Trump and his acolytes. Regardless of how many of the five are true, it is not a ticket to victory. Or even losing gracefully. But it will be a source of endless grouching, grumbling and gnashing of teeth. But the good thing is that this will be even more fodder for future TBRs!
Donations are being funneled via political action committees and other indirect sources.
Conservative donors had bypassed the Michigan Republican Party organization while Karamo was at the helm.
Hoekstra was a Godsend to the Michigan GOP.
The Donnie Steele-Shadia Martini rematch is expected to be a very close race.
The district covers areas that are both strongly leaning Democratic – such as Auburn Hills – and those leaning GOP – such as Lake Orion.
The Dems targeted the seat in 2022 – but Steele won a close race, despite having scant support from the Michigan Republican Party.
Martini is a successful real estate specialist who is originally from Syria.
The Mai Xiong/Ronald Singer rematch in the City of Warren is expected to be a barn-burner:
(A) the House District lines have be re-drawn to exclude Detroit areas – which is damaging to Democrats such as Mai Xiong;
(B) Mai Xiong was was linked to a court action in Wisconsin in which her sister had been in a highly publicized investigation of an alleged Ponzi scheme. The SEC issued fines and restitution orders – Mai Xiong denied any involvement in an interview with a reporter just before the August primary election.
Singer, an engineer, has been going door-to-door and hanging signs throughout the city – he has served previously as a Michigan GOP state committeeman.
Bill, when you were in the legislature could you have ever dreamt that MILLIONS would one day be spent on individual races for seats in the STATE HOUSE? I remember Dave Bonior being embarrassed that he had to spent a whole $36,000 in 1976 to win a seat in Congress.
Ah, those were the days. And we won’t see them again. At least not as long as people treat politics as a religion.
I, being a naturally suspicious type, small rats. Lots of rats. Nice article, Bill.
Has anyone done an analysis of the impact of Trump’s legal fund raising and RNC spending on the same? Is all of the MAGA money going to him rather than others? It seems that he is burning through tons of money on lawyers and it isn’t coming from his pocket. Is it likely those donors are tapped out?