Citizen's Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance
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Michigan Campaign Finance Network | 2008 Citizen’s Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance A Michigan Campaign Finance Network | 2008 Michigan Campaign Finance Network | 2008 Citizen’s Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance 20Michigan Campaign Finance Network 200 Museum Drive, Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: (517) 482-7198 Email: [email protected] Web: www.mcfn.org B Citizen’s Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance C Michigan Campaign Finance Network | 2008 Citizen’s Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance The Michigan Campaign Finance Network Table of Contents is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Introduction 4 Federal Overview 6 that conducts research and provides public U S House of Representatives—Michigan 8 education on money in Michigan politics. U S Senate—Michigan 10 Michigan House of Representatives 11 Appellate Courts Board of Directors 14 Circuit, District and Probate Courts 17 John Chamberlin Education Boards 18 Jan C. Dolan Ballot Proposals 19 Patricia Donath Michigan Political Parties 20 Andy Draheim Political Action Committees 22 John M. Koval Constitutional Executives 24 H. Lynn Jondahl Michigan Senate 24 John P. Mayer Repairing a Broken System of Limits and Accountability 26 Susan Grimes Width Rich Robinson, Executive Director Tables Table 1 Federal Campaign Finance Contribution Limits, 2008 Cycle 4 © April 2009 by Michigan Campaign Finance Network Table 2 Michigan Campaign Finance Contribution Limits 5 Data and Information may be used for public education with attribution. Table 3 Individual Donors to Presidential Candidates, 2008 Cycle 7 Table 4 Summary of Fundraising by Federal Candidates, 2008 Cycle 7 This report was researched and written by Rich Robinson and Table 5 Summary of Federal Party Fundraising, 2004-2008 7 Barbara R. Moorhouse. Table 6 Summary of Michigan U S House Candidates’ Campaign Finances, 2008 Cycle 8 Table 7 Independent Expenditures, Michigan 7th Congressional District, 2008 Cycle 9 The work of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network is sustained Table 8 Independent Expenditures, Michigan 9th Congressional District, 2008 Cycle 9 by voluntary contributions from concerned Michigan Citizens and the Table 9 Summary of Michigan U S Senate Candidates’ Campaign Finances, 2008 Cycle 10 generous support of the Joyce Foundation of Chicago. This project was Table 10 Profile of Michigan House Campaigns, 2008 Cycle 11 made possible by the Joyce Foundation. Table 11 Most Expensive Michigan House Races, 2008 Cycle 12 Table 12 Summary of Michigan House Campaign Finances, 2002-2008 Cycles 13 Table 13 PACs Making Independent Expenditures, Michigan House, 2008 Cycle 13 Table 14 Michigan Supreme Court Campaign Finance Summary, 2008 14 Table 15 Michigan Supreme Court Television Issue Ad Expenditures, 2008 15 Table 16 Summary of Michigan Supreme Court Campaign Finances, 2000-2008 15 Table 17 Campaign Finance Summary, Contested Michigan Court of Appeals-4th District, 2008 16 Table 18 Summary of Circuit, District and Probate Campaign Finances, 2008 17 Table 19 State Education Boards Campaign Finance Summary, 2008 Cycle 18 Table 20 Campaign Finance Summary, Proposal 08-1: Allow Medicinal Use of Marijuana 19 Table 21 Campaign Finance Summary, Proposal 08-2: Allow Embryonic Stem Cell Research 19 Table 22 Michigan Republican Party Finances, 2004-2008 20 Table 23 Michigan Democratic Party Finances, 2004-2008 21 Table 24 Top Michigan Political Action Committees, 2008 Cycle 23 Michigan Campaign Finance Network Table 25 Constitutional Executives Campaign Finance Summary, 2007-2008 24 200 Museum Drive, Lansing, MI 48933 Table 26 Michigan Senators’ Campaign Finance Summary, 2007-2008 25 Phone: (517) 482-7198 Email: [email protected] Web: www.mcfn.org D Appendices Appendix A Presidential Campaign Television Advertising in Michigan, 2008 Cycle 29 Appendix B Summary of Michigan House Candidates’ Campaign Finances, 2008 Cycle 30 Appendix C Top Contributors to Winning Michigan House Candidates, 2008 Cycle 37 Appendix D Michigan Supreme Court Television Advertising by Market, 2008 56 Appendix E Top Contributors to Michigan Supreme Court Candidates, 2008 Cycle 56 Appendix F Top Contributors to Winning Court of Appeals Candidate, 2008 Cycle 57 Appendix G Circuit Court Candidates’ Campaign Finances, Contested Seats, 2008 Cycle 58 Appendix H District Court Candidates’ Campaign Finances, Contested Seats, 2008 Cycle 60 Appendix I Probate Court Candidates’ Campaign Finances, Contested Seats, 2008 Cycle 63 Appendix J Top Contributors to Michigan Political Parties’ State Committees, 2008 Cycle 64 Appendix K Top 150 Michigan Political Action Committees, 2008 Cycle 65 Appendix L Officeholders’ Leadership PACs, 2008 Cycle 69 Appendix M Top Contributors to Leading Officeholders’ Leadership PACs, 2008 Cycle 70 Appendix N Top Contributors to Legislative Caucuses’ PACs, 2008 Cycle 73 Appendix O Top Contributors to Statewide Executives’ Campaign Accounts, 2007-2008 75 Appendix P Top Contributors to Michigan Senators’ Campaign Committees, 2007-2008 76 Appendix Q Top Individual Contributors to Michigan Political Committees, 2008 Cycle 83 Citizen’s Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance 3 Introduction Plenty of campaign finance records were broken in 2008. On the national level communications—those campaign advertisements that define of contributors to incumbent senators, winning House candidates, President Barack Obama’s record-shattering campaign raised more than twice a candidate’s record, character, qualifications or suitability for officeholders’ leadership PACs, caucus PACs and party committees. office, but carefully avoid any direct exhortation of a vote. Such Presumably, money does win ‘access,’ if not, necessarily, legislative as much from individuals as the entire field of Republican candidates in 2008; advertisements have been a main feature of Michigan’s most success in a divided legislature. Public interests that do not have more than the entire field of candidates from both parties in 2004; and, more contested state elections since 2000, totaling more than $45 money to seek access tend to get short shrift in such a system. million of unaccountable spending since then. There were more As with any game, you have to have a program to know the than twice as much as the entire field of candidates from both parties in 2000. than $3.8 million worth of Supreme Court issue ads in 2008, so players. For the fifth consecutive biennial election cycle since Largely enabled by the Internet, millions more Americans than ever before gave more than half that campaign was off the books. the year 2000, the Michigan Campaign Finance Network has Michigan campaign finance law favors the wealthy by declining produced the Citizen’s Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance, so all financial support to the presidential candidates of their choice. In so doing, we to set contribution limits for political parties and political action Michigan citizens can have a better understanding of the players probably have ended the publicly financed presidential campaign system as we committees. A number of large independent expenditures in the and the game in Lansing. have known it since the post-Watergate reforms of the 1970s. most expensive Michigan House races by a stable of PACs that received substantial contributions from Jon Stryker of Kalamazoo are the clearest current example of the oversized influence this Michigan had two U.S. House races in 2008 that nearly reached $9 Money’s record as a correlate to electoral success was mixed gives to a wealthy individual, although there are a number of million, just in spending by the candidate committees and reported in 2008. Only six out of 110 winning Michigan House candidates others who have made six and seven-figure contributions to PACs independent expenditures. If electioneering communications by were able to defeat an opponent with greater financial backing. and parties in the last decade. 527 organizations and 501 (c) non-profits are considered, both races But three of eight winners for statewide education boards defeated Money’s influence does not end with election outcomes. easily topped the $9 million mark—a level never before seen in a a candidate with greater financial backing, and 26 of 63 winners We should assume that those who give money to campaigns are Michigan U.S. House contest. in contested judicial elections defeated a better-funded opponent, rational economic actors and they are seeking a return on their In campaigns for State offices, more records were set. On a including the two winners in contested appellate court contests. campaign investments. The interests whose issues dominated the per seat basis, the 2008 Supreme Court campaign was the most Michigan’s most expensive state campaigns are shaped to a 2007-2008 legislative session, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, expensive ever at $7.5 million. In aggregate, Michigan House races large degree by the absence of regulations. The most egregious DTE Energy, and the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers were the costliest they have ever been. is the failure to require disclosure of issue ads or electioneering Association, are precisely the same interest groups who top the lists Table 1 Federal Campaign Finance Contribution Limits, 2008 Cycle Table 2 Michigan Campaign Finance Contribution Limits State/Local Party National Party House Senate Statewide Political Independent Caucus Party Issue Ad From To House Senate President PAC Committee Committee From To Candidate Candidate Candidate PAC PAC PAC Committee Campaign Period election election election year year year Period 2 years 4 years 4 years