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Under the Avalanche: Maine's $200 Million Senate Race

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Under the Avalanche : MAINE’S $200 MILLION SENATE RACE Stand With Maine APRIL 2021 contents Introduction . 3 What Our Examination of the 2020 Election Spending in Maine Revealed . 4 Super PAC Controlled by New York Democrat Spends Millions in Maine . 6 Super PAC Controlled by Kentucky Republican Spends Millions in Maine . 10 The Impact of Big Money in Politics in Maine . .15 Mainers Are United to Fix Our Broken System . 19 Stand With Maine . 20 2 / Under the AVALANCHE Introduction No Maine voter needs reminding that and the Democratic side, we seek to offer our most recent Senate race was the Mainers clear, fair information about how most expensive – and quite possibly the money degrades debate, decreases the nastiest – in the state’s history . The useful information, smothers the voices intense partisanship, negative and divisive of voters and of more independent attacks belied Maine’s tradition of bucking candidates – the opposite of what free national fault lines, and of electing speech under the First Amendment is all independent-minded leaders more free about . of party bosses or moneyed interests . So how did Maine, a fiercely proud and free- The Maine Millions report drew thinking state, come to be embroiled in the same partisan warfare which has come to the following conclusions: characterize politics in Washington and Almost all of the money in the race around the country? came through Super PACs. The Super PACs in the Maine election “We were 20 feet under snow are closely entwined with the national in an avalanche, and no one Republican and Democratic Senate leadership and political operatives in could hear us.” Washington, D.C. - David Trahan, former Republican State Senator and A majority of the money that flowed in Executive Director of the Maine the Maine election came from wealthy Sportsman’s Alliance donors and interests outside of Maine. Outside money funded negative attacks This report from Maine’s chapter of the and disinformation. national, non-partisan organization, American Promise, seeks to shine a light All this money restricted free speech, into some of that $200 million that poured voter information and choice. into the avalanche of often misleading, Mainers support a Constitutional toxic and divisive campaign advertising amendment to end big money in in the state .1 With a focus on the largest politics. spenders on both the Republican side UNDER THE AVALAnche / 3 What Our examination of the 2020 Election Spending in Maine revealed: In Maine, Super PACs Provide and Washington, D.C. political the Majority of the Money. operatives. Most of the money spent in the 2020 In this report, we examined two Senate race in Maine did not come Super PACs: the Senate Majority through the candidates’ campaigns but Fund and the Senate Leadership through “Super PACs ”. A Super PAC is Fund . The Senate Majority PAC, while formed by those seeking to influence ostensibly “independent,” effectively the election with money that does not is an arm of the Democratic Party and go through the candidates’ campaigns . New York Senator Chuck Schumer, now Senate Majority Leader . The While campaign finance laws limit group is headed by top Democratic what an individual can contribute strategist J .B . Poersch, the former directly to a candidate’s campaign, executive director of the Democratic no limits apply to Super PACs since Senatorial Campaign Committee the Supreme Court struck down such and a “confidant” of Senator Chuck limits in 2010 . According to the Court, Schumer .3 Treasurer Rebecca Lambe because such groups are “outside” of and Director Susan McCue both and “independent” of the campaigns, served on the staff of former Senate the Court (over strong dissents) Majority Leader Harry Reid .4,5 maintained that limits on the money flowing through the Super PACs Similarly, the Senate Leadership Fund would violate the donors’ right to free is not “independent” but effectively is speech under the First Amendment .2 an arm of the Republican Party and Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, In 2020, the Super PACs now Senate Minority Leader . The operating in Maine were Senate Leadership Fund spent over closely entwined with the $287 million to support Republicans national Republican and in key Senate races .6 Its president is Democratic Senate leadership Steven Law, the former chief of staff 4 / Under the AVALANCHE for then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch ads concentrated on personal attacks McConnell . and distorted voting records . Mainers are being left behind: Super PAC Spending Wealthy Donors and Interests Restricts Free Speech, Voter Outside of Maine Fund Super Information and Choice. PACs. The high levels of spending ultimately Most of the $200 million in the reduced access to fact-based voter Maine Senate race came from wealthy information, drowned out public Republican and Democratic donors debate, and stymied the goals of the outside of Maine, fighting a national ranked-choice voting system that battle for control of the US Senate . The Mainers worked hard to implement . Senate Majority PAC and the Senate Leadership Fund spent, respectively, Mainers Support a $27 .9 million and $12 .6 million on the Constitutional Amendment 2020 Maine Senate race .7 The largest That Ends This Systemic donations to both Super PACs were Corruption of the American from 501(c)(4) “dark money” groups, Political Process. followed by donations from wealthy In August 2020, a survey of Mainers individuals located in Chicago, New by American Promise and Citizen York, Las Vegas, and Palm Beach . Data showed three out four voters Not one of the 647 donations over in favor of passing and ratifying an $100,000 to either group came from amendment to the US Constitution to 8 Maine . enable Maine and the nation to have reasonable limits on contributions Super PACs Overwhelmingly and spending in elections . Maine, Spend on Negative Attacks in a 2013 vote of Republican, and Disinformation. Democratic, and independent Both Super PACs spent over 98% of legislators called on Congress to pass their Maine budgets on attack ads, such an amendment and return it to and less than two percent on ads the states for ratification . Since then, supporting their favored candidate .9,10 22 states have joined in this call, and As a result, Mainers faced a heavily the supermajority support shown negative campaign landscape in which by Mainers is shared by Americans UNDER THE AVALAnche / 5 across the nation . The American and secretive donors, would be heard Promise constitutional amendment most, and candidates and elected would ensure elections where money representatives would spend time and came in much smaller amounts, from solve problems with their constituents many more people . Voters, not big in their states and communities . Super PAC Controlled by New York Democrat Spends Millions in Maine The Senate Majority PAC is the largest Major donors to the group come left-leaning Super PAC in the country . from across the country – New York, At the time of writing, it has reported Chicago, Palo Alto, West Palm Beach spending just under $229 million on – but rarely from Maine .15 Most of the competitive Senate races nationwide, money in the Senate Majority PAC most heavily targeting Michigan, comes from a small group of very North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, and large donors . Over 85% of the total Maine .11 The group is headed by top money raised by this Super PAC came Democratic strategist J .B . Poersch, from just 394 donors who contributed the former executive director of the $25,0000 or more . 58 donors gave Democratic Senatorial Campaign more than $1 million each, making Committee and a “confidant” of up just under 67% of the total . Four Senator Chuck Schumer 12. Treasurer donors – three dark money 501(c)(4) Rebecca Lambe and Director Susan groups and one other Super PAC – McCue both served on the staff of contributed over $10 million each . former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid .13,14 Given these connections to While the Senate Majority PAC spent the Democratic establishment, the $27 .9 million in Maine in 2020, notion that the Senate Majority PAC mostly on attack ads on Senator is “independent” of any candidate or Collins, Mainers had virtually no say party is misleading . in the matter . Of the 394 donors who contributed more than $25,000 to the Outside Money Dominates Senate Majority PAC, just a single one 16 Maine Elections was from Maine . In total, less than 6 / Under the AVALANCHE one-tenth of one percent of the group’s not required to publicly disclose its funding came from Mainers . donors; as such, the donations that it provides are commonly referred Many of the donors to the Senate to as “dark money” . While such Majority PAC are not people at all . groups are ostensibly prohibited from The largest donor is Majority Forward, participating in political campaigns, the dark money group created for they can still exert tremendous the purpose of funneling anonymous influence on elections through funds towards liberal causes – in this donations to Super PACs . They case, $47 .8 million to the Democrats’ 17 can also run their own “issue ads” largest Super PAC . which are legal so long as they do Majority Forward is a “social welfare” not expressly advocate for or against group governed by section 501(c)(4) a candidate . However, the resulting of the Internal Revenue Code, and is ads often appear nearly identical to typical attack ads (but notice that the linked video carefully shies away from AT A GLANCE: suggesting that Senator Collins be voted out of office) . DEMOCRAT SUPER PAC SPENDING IN 2020 ELECTIONS Although most of the donors to Majority Forward remain unknown, $229 MILLION we can paint an (albeit incomplete) Amount Spent Nationwide picture of the organization based on the few donors who have been $27.
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