Posts tagged 2019 News

Fundraising Races On After Record Election

Michigan's top 150 political action committees raised more money over the first seven months of 2019 than they did over the same period before the record 2018 election, according to new campaign finance disclosures. Increased fundraising by committees connected to state lawmakers helped spur the high-dollar total. read more

posted on 08/05/2019

Undisclosed, Untold: Most State Lawmakers Have Ties To Accounts That Can Raise Money In Secret

Michigan officeholders’ quiet use of accounts and organizations that can accept unlimited amounts of money from secret donors has become widespread in Lansing. A new report by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network found links between a majority of the 148 lawmakers serving last year and accounts or organizations that could raise money from sources known to the lawmaker but unknown to the public. Where does the money end up? That can be a mystery as well. read more

posted on 07/22/2019

U.S. House Members Post Big Fundraising Numbers

In 2017, the U.S. House member from Michigan who raised the most money from the beginning of April through the end of June collected $360,342. Over the same period in 2019, three of Michigan's U.S. House members raised more than that. Two doubled the total, raising more than $730,000 each. read more

posted on 07/16/2019

State Lawmakers’ Fundraising Accounts Have Paid More Than $100,000 For Missing Disclosure Deadlines

Fundraising committees tied to nearly half of Michigan’s current state officeholders have had to pay financial penalties — called late filing fees — for failing to meet donor disclosure requirements, according to an analysis of campaign finance records. Current state officeholders’ campaigns and political action committees (PACs) have combined to pay penalties of at least $112,695 throughout the officeholders’ political careers. read more

posted on 07/09/2019

While They Make Our Laws, How Much Should We Know About Their Financial Interests?

Michigan is currently one of two states that don't require state officeholders to file any type of personal financial disclosure to reveal potential conflicts of interest. However, the state House is now considering whether to adopt a financial disclosure reporting system. MCFN examined how the proposal compares to what's already been happening in other states. read more

posted on 06/20/2019

Inside One Of The Most Influential Groups In Lansing

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce publicly weighed in on 28 bills or bill packages during the 2018 lame-duck session. The Legislature agreed with the Chamber on 24 of them. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network and Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer partnered to examine the group's influence. read more

posted on 05/30/2019

Michigan's 2018 Election Attracted $324 Million

Michigan’s 2018 election was the most expensive in state history. As voters chose a new governor, picked candidates for every seat in the state Legislature and decided two competitive U.S. House races, money poured in from outside groups, and campaigns raised record amounts. read more

posted on 05/09/2019

It’s Early. But Groups Have Been Busy Raising Money.

Over the first months of 2019, the 150 top political action committees in Michigan reported raising a combined total of $8.1 million, an increase over the same time period before the 2018 election. Michigan’s four caucus committees, which spend money on races for the state Legislature, were the primary forces behind the fundraising jump, disclosures show. read more

posted on 04/30/2019

Who’s Been Funding Lawmakers’ Personal PACs?

Ten state lawmakers raised more than $30,000 through their own political action committees over the first months of 2019, according to new campaign finance disclosures. Individual contributors gave as much as $40,000 to the leadership PACs, a growing form of fundraising in Michigan. read more

posted on 04/30/2019

State Officeholders Had 774 Fundraisers In 2018

Elected state officeholders who served in 2018 disclosed having at least 774 fundraisers during the year, according to an analysis of hundreds of campaign finance disclosures. The most popular places to raise money were all within walking distance of the Capitol, and the wide majority of the most popular days for fundraisers were days the Legislature was also in session. read more

posted on 04/25/2019

Cost Of Michigan House Campaigns Rises … Again

Michigan's 2018 races for the state House attracted about $27.6 million, according to MCFN's analysis. It was a record total that was achieved despite the fact the races shared 2018 ballots with expensive campaigns for the state Senate and governor. The most expensive individual 2018 House race cost about $1.5 million, according to the analysis. read more

posted on 03/28/2019

The Most Expensive Fight For The State Senate

At $34.5 million, Michigan's 2018 races for the state Senate attracted more money than they ever had before. New contribution limits and increased competition helped drive up the price tag. But there was also more than $4 million in spending by groups that didn't disclose their donors but occasionally used images of snakes and swamp monsters to attack candidates. read more

posted on 03/21/2019

Lame Duck Spurred A Surge In Lobbyist Spending

As state lawmakers sent nearly 400 bills to then-Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk in the closing weeks of the year, lobbyists upped their efforts in Lansing to influence policy decisions, helping to make 2018 a record year for lobbyist spending, according to state disclosures. Overall, lobbyists reported spending $40.3 million in 2018. read more

posted on 02/27/2019

40 Michigan Families, $56 Million In Contributions

Forty Michigan families and individuals spent a combined $56.5 million on political contributions from the start of 2017 through the end of 2018, according to a new analysis of state and national campaign finance disclosures. Fourteen families or individuals from Michigan spent more than $1 million each, the analysis also found. read more

posted on 02/21/2019

Who Benefited From $11 Million In DeVos Spending?

Members of West Michigan's DeVos family combined to make about $11.3 million in political contributions from the start of 2017 to the end of 2018. The family spent more money on politics ahead of the 2018 election than any other Michigan family, according to an analysis of state and national fundraising disclosures by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. read more

posted on 02/21/2019

Who Funded Gov. Whitmer’s Inauguration?

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s transition organization voluntarily released a list of inauguration sponsors. The list included 182 groups or individuals who fell into sponsorship categories ranging from $100,000 to $1,000. Some of the groups on the list previously supported Whitmer’s opponent in the election, and many of them will be working with state government on upcoming policy decisions. read more

posted on 02/11/2019

Michigan’s 2018 Races For The U.S. House Attracted $80 Million, About Double The 2016 Total

Thanks in part to two extremely expensive races, the primary and general election contests for Michigan’s 14 seats in the U.S. House attracted about $80 million, according to candidate fundraising disclosures, independent-spending reports by groups and an analysis of TV advertising data from Kantar Media/CMAG. The 2018 total is double what the same races attracted in 2016: $40 million. read more

posted on 01/22/2019

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