AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Democrats widened their fundraising advantage over their Republican counterparts during the final summer months as the battle for control of the state Legislature intensified. Both parties boosted their fundraising totals with significant help from two Washington, D.C.-based political action committees focused on state legislative races.
Fundraising reports filed Friday with the Maine Ethics Commission show the state’s Democratic Party took in more than two-and-a-half times the amount the state GOP did during the third quarter of 2012, from mid-July through Sept. 30.
The Maine Democratic Party raised $733,000 while the Republican Party took in $274,000, the fundraising reports show. The Democratic Party has raised almost $1.4 million this year, compared to $828,000 for the Republicans.
The reports show the Democrats also are targeting more funds than Republicans to specific races, including many in districts they had lost to Republicans in 2010 that they want to recapture in November. The Democratic Party reported spending $249,000 supporting and opposing specific candidates. The Republicans’ finance report showed no spending on specific candidates during the fundraising period, though the party filed expenditure reports twice in September that showed the party spent nearly $85,000 on mailings in targeted House and Senate districts.
Major contributions on the Democratic side included $50,000 from New York City developer Daniel Tishman; $39,500 from Donald Sussman, husband of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree; $19,700 from the Democratic Governors’ Association; $15,000 each from Stephen and Tabitha King; and $54,000 from the Alfond Business Community and Democracy PAC controlled by Portland Sen. Justin Alfond, the assistant Democratic leader in the Senate.
The largest donor to the Democrats’ legislative efforts was the Washington, D.C.-based Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which split $175,000 among the Democratic Party and two other party-affiliated committees raising money for Democratic legislative campaign efforts.
Major Republican donations included $80,000 from Houston businessman and Southport summer resident Ed Bosarge and $40,000 from White Rock Distilleries CEO Paul Coulombe. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which has spent nearly $1 million on ads attacking Angus King in Maine’s U.S. Senate race, contributed $5,000 to the state party.
Republicans made up part of their fundraising deficit through two party-controlled political action committees devoted to House and Senate campaigns.
The Maine Senate Republican Majority PAC, for example, took in $314,000 last quarter, helping to make up some of the GOP’s fundraising deficit. The bulk of the committee’s fundraising was thanks to the Republican State Leadership Committee in Washington, D.C., which chipped in $220,000.
The Republican State Leadership Committee two years ago spent $400,000 targeting Democrats in five state Senate races. The Democrats in all five of those races lost, and the Maine Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Maine Ethics Commission alleging the group violated state election laws by reporting its expenditures late and inaccurately. The ethics commission ultimately fined the group $26,000.
The Republicans’ House Majority Fund raised $20,580 last quarter.
On the Democratic side, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee raised $140,000 with the help of a $54,000 contribution from the Alfond Business Community and Democratic PAC and $25,000 from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
The House Democratic Campaign Committee took in $182,000, including $100,000 from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, $10,000 from a committee controlled by House Democratic leader Rep. Emily Cain and $5,000 from the Mill to the Hill PAC controlled by U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud.
Fundraising totals through Sept. 30 are running behind 2010 levels for both parties, but the difference is more pronounced on the Republican side.
The Maine Republican Party had raised $2.2 million through Sept. 30, 2010, compared to $828,000 this year. The Democratic Party had raised $1.6 million through Sept. 30, 2010, compared to $1.4 million this year.
Democrats and enlightened oldtime Republicans and Independent alike should all give Mr. LePage a big slap on the back for helping to encourage higher levels of funding for Democrats running for office this year. Then give him a good kick in the pants on November 6th by casting every vote for a Democrat. Thus transfering House and Senate majorities back into the hands of those who represent us rather than the interest of a few or “others from away” who likely don’t even know the name of a single town in Maine.
Simply childish !
did you read the name Daniel Tishman at the top of the Democratic donors, closely followed by Donald Sussman? be very careful about transfering majorities back to those who represent the interest of a few and others from away who have their own private jets
Private Jets!
LOL
The Republican Majority decided this year to give “Private Jet” owners a free ride on Sales Tax!
Do you really think Sussman is the “only” Private Jet Owner?
Do you mean those that purchased a jet in another State. That tax break?
I was kind of thinking that he needed a slap up aside the head!
I just don’t get it. So if Democrats raise more money (probably from Sussman/Wall Street), why do we always see stories about Republicans spending so much money in politics? You writing this story just turned all the other stories upside down….
The origins of the money for both Ds and Rs are given. Yes, Sussman contributed some.
6.5% from two people is “some”?
Yup.
Perceptions matter. Any legislation that attempts to curtail the influence of money in politics tends to come from Democrats (John McCain used to be an exception to this), while it was the Republican appointees on the Supreme Court that overturned Citizens United. If you believe that money has ruined our politics, then the solution is likely to come from the Democratic side if it ever comes.
The good ole USA.
For sale to the highest bidder.
So sad.
What do you think all those “Tax Breaks” are for?
The only jobs that they create are political advertisements !!!!!!!!
Dems had more funding last year and it didn’t help them then, WHY would it help them now? People are waking up and seeing the same old s*** isn’t working for Maine or the nation! We NEED something different to get us back on the right track!
Look at the chart more carefully. Democrats had substantially LOWER fundraising results in 2010 than Republicans
Bought and paid for.
Here is the 1%….