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Dark Money Enters the GOP Attorney General Contest
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True Michigan PAC, a super PAC run by Ohio political consultants using a mailbox just outside Washington, DC, is trying to influence the votes of Republican delegates in Michigan’s attorney general race.

The super PAC has been sending mail to the homes of potential Republican delegates who may vote to decide the party’s picks for attorney general and secretary of state.

They offer an invitation to join attorney general candidate Matt DePerno and former President Donald Trump to “hunt RINOs” — Republicans In Name Only — in particular DePerno’s opponent Tom Leonard. Another claims Leonard supports Republican former Gov. Rick Snyder, who’s labeled a “stooge” for endorsing now-President Joe Biden in 2020.

It marks the entry of national political operatives wielding dark money to a state where Trump, who has endorsed DePerno, is pointedly looking to demonstrate his continued influence over the party. The mailings essentially reiterate what Trump himself wrote in a letter to delegates last month.

Another nonprofit is sending mail to delegates praising Leonard, and a different dark money group is running attack ads in West Palm Beach, Florida — home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence — saying DePerno “failed” the former president. Some delegates have found the opaques ads troubling.
Read the full story on mcfn.org ([link removed])

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What Else We're Watching
Major super PAC already reserving significant MI airtime. House Majority PAC, a liberal super PAC, has purchased at least $6.3 million in airtime to run ads in the weeks leading up the November election. Nearly half is for the Detroit metro market. The behemoth PAC tasked with keeping Democrats’ U.S. House majority has already raised more than $50 million and took in more than $160 million in the last election cycle.

This far from the election, in FCC disclosures the PAC is simply describing the ads' content as "TBD."

Miss the last one? MCFN is holding a second local campaign finance training. The presentation will take place this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Executive director Simon Schuster will provide an overview of Michigan's campaign finance system, a guide to requesting and examining campaign finance filings at the local level along with what to look for in order to hold local elected officials accountable. Those interested can sign up here ([link removed]) .

Three months with new maps and 157 candidate moves.

MCFN has been tracking ([link removed]) how state legislative incumbents and candidates have responded to redistricting. In the little over three months since final district maps ([link removed]) were approved for the next decade, 127 state House candidates have changed their registration to a new district. Thirty candidates running for the Senate have done the same.

Of the 112 districts that have seen candidates switch into them from old maps, in 83 of them candidates are all from the same prior district. In others some interesting dynamics have emerged. There is the Thumb's new 67th House district, where five candidates have come over from the old 82nd to face incumbent Rep. Phil Green (R-Millington) who presently represents the old 84th district. Or in western Michigan’s lengthy new 43rd district, candidates have been brought together from the old 72nd, 80th and 87th districts.
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In Other NewsMichigan House candidate Mellissa Carone disqualified from Macomb ballot ([link removed]) — The Detroit News (paywall)
"Michigan House candidate Mellissa Carone has been disqualified from the Macomb County ballot after she submitted a faulty affidavit attesting that she had no outstanding campaign finance issues."

Betsy DeVos is back — and her family is flooding Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with cash ([link removed]) — Salon
"Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her family have donated more than $280,000 to back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' re-election effort amid his crackdown on discussions of race and sexual orientation in schools"

Michigan AG hopeful Tom Leonard’s fundraising draws fairness concerns ([link removed]) — Bridge Michigan
How Tom Leonard’s campaign for attorney general may have reaped additional money from wealthy donors using his leadership PACs and allies in the legislature.

Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry is found guilty in contributions probe ([link removed]) — NPR
“U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska was convicted Thursday on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser.”

FEC fines Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic Party, clears "Steele dossier" author of wrongdoing ([link removed]) — CBS News
“The Federal Election Commission has fined Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign $8,000 and the Democratic National Committee $105,000 for obscuring their funding of the "Steele dossier," a 2016 opposition research report that sought to highlight alleged links between Donald Trump and Russia.”

Congressman Schiff Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United ([link removed]) — My Burbank
U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) joined California congressman Adam Schiff in introducing a constitutional amendment that would undo the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling. The decision is widely credited with open the door to unprecedented levels of dark money in U.S. elections. It’s not the first time Schiff has introduced the amendment and has essentially no chance of moving forward as two-thirds of both chambers of Congress would have to vote in favor of it.

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