Election 2004
PAC fundraising tops $33 million for '04 cycle
The House Republican Campaign Committee and the Michigan House Democratic Fund led all Michigan political action committees in fundraising for the 2004 election cycle. The House Republicans became the first Michigan PAC to raise $3 million in a two-year election cycle, although the committee ended the cycle with a $700,000 debt. The House Democrats raised $1.9 million and ended with a $140,000 debt.
For the rest of the story, read our press release or look at the list of top 150 PACs.
Judicial campaign 'whodunit'
More than half the money spent on the 2004 Michigan Supreme Court campaign cannot be accounted for, three months after the election.
Data collected by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network from Michigan television broadcasters and cable system operators show two independent groups sponsored $1.77 million worth of Supreme Court ads that are not disclosed in any campaign finance reports. In comparison, the five candidates who ran for the two contested seats on the state’s highest court reported raising a total of just $1.54 million.
For the rest of this distressing story, read our press release.
Stealth campaigning sullies Supreme Court campaign
For the third consecutive election season, television ads that are not disclosed on any campaign finance report are a prominent feature of the Michigan Supreme Court campaign. Two independent groups – one supporting incumbent Justice Stephen J. Markman, and one opposing him – are running television advertisements that are the most visible part of the campaign, but the money behind them is not reported to state election officials.
For the rest of the story on this clear violation of state election law, read our press release.
Borrowing fuels biggest House campaigns
Candidates for the Michigan House of Representatives had raised just over $10.7 million as of October 17th, the close-of-books date for pre-general reports for the November 2nd election. Collectively, the candidates have a balance of $2.45 million and have accumulated $2.38 million in debt.
For more information, read MCFN's press release or look at the complete list of fundraising data.
Top state PACs show strong growth... again
State political action committees (PACs) showed strong collective growth in their most recent campaign finance reports. The top 150 PACs have raised $23.6 million dollars this election cycle, as of July 20th. That is up by $5 million since April. The same collection of PACs had raised $18 million as of July in the 2002 election cycle.
For more information, read our press release or look at a list of Michigan's top 150 PACs.
Bush-Kerry TV ad race reaches $34 million
With just one week to go until Election Day, the presidential candidates, their parties and supporting groups have spent nearly $34 million for broadcast television advertising in Michigan. Sen. John Kerry and his supporters have outspent President Bush and his allies by 30 percent - $19.2 million to $14.7 million – but the two sides have settled into spending parity in the last weeks of the campaign with each side spending roughly $2.6 million since early October.
Meanwhile, spending on both sides of Proposal 1, the proposed constitutional amendment to require statewide and local voter approval of most new forms of gaming in Michigan, has accelerated dramatically. Total spending has reached $8.4 million, with $4.9 million of that total spent in just two weeks between October 11th and October 25th.
For more information, read our press release or look at the numbers for each market.
Main Street answers The Club
The Republican Main Street Partnership has weighed into Michigan's 7th Congressional District Republican primary campaign with $57,200 in independent expenditures supporting former state Sen. Joe Schwarz of Battle Creek.
For the rest of the story on this ideological battle, read our press release.
Seat for Sale?
The pre-primary campaign finance reports for Michigan's 7th Congressional District primary election show a growing infusion of out-of-state contributions bundled by the Club for Growth PAC being funneled into the campaign of Brad Smith. As of July 14th, Club for Growth had provided Smith's campaign with $135,000 in earmarked contributions. Of that amount, Michiganians contributed only $6,000.
For more information, including a comparison to the other 7th District candidates, read our press release or look at a table of fundraising data.
Millionaires' Amendment" in play in 7th District primary
The six candidates vying for the Republican nomination in Michigan's Seventh Congressional District have collectively raised over $2.6 million through June 30, 2004.
For more information, including how this has triggered the new "Millionaires' Amendment" of the new Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, read our press release.
Manufactured Housing PAC grows
The Michigan Manufactured Housing, RV and Campground Association PAC raised $464,244 from 1/1/03 through 4/20/04, making them the eighth largest PAC in the state. Contributions to the PAC were up 440 percent compared to two years ago, the biggest percentage gain of any PAC in the top 20. A number of bills that would affect the manufactured housing industry are currently moving through the legislature. There was an article about this PAC in the July 18 edition of The Detroit News.
Click here for a list of the PAC's contributors and how much each gave from 1/1/03 through 4/20/04.