Frontline Dems are raising more money without corporate cash than with it

From: POLITICO Influence - Thursday Aug 11,2022 10:00 pm
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By Caitlin Oprysko

With Daniel Lippman

FRONTLINE DEMS RAISED MORE MONEY WITHOUT CORPORATE CASH THAN WITH IT: Frontline Democrats who’ve sworn off corporate PAC money raised on average $322,000 more last quarter than their vulnerable colleagues who accept contributions from corporations, according to an analysis of the at-risk Democrats’ fundraising compiled by the liberal group End Citizens United.

— The PAC, which urges lawmakers to reject corporate cash, compared quarterly fundraising totals for members of the DCCC’s frontliners program in each quarter of the 2022 cycle and found that in addition to consistently outraising their fellow vulnerable House members, those who reject corporate PAC money also, on average, boasted cash reserves of at least $1 million — and sometimes close to $2 million — more than colleagues who accept corporate money.

— Take, for example, each category’s biggest fundraisers last quarter. Among those who have pledged to reject donations from corporate PACs, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) reported raising more than $3.8 million — more than any other frontliner. Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) raised the most of frontliners who did accept corporate contributions, bringing in nearly $1.9 million between April and July, including around $58,000 from corporate PACs.

— Porter, who has long been a prolific fundraiser, also reported having more cash on hand than any other frontliner, with almost $20 million in her coffers at the end of last quarter. The next largest war chest of the group belongs to Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who reported having more than $14 million in cash on hand.

— End Citizens United found that in addition to outraising their Democratic peers, frontliners who took the group’s pledge to reject corporate PAC money also consistently held larger fundraising advantages over their Republican opponents, on average bringing in $1.4 million more than their top-raising Republican challenger, compared to $525,000 more for their colleagues who accept corporate cash.

— Several Republicans have sworn off corporate cash as well in recent years, though End Citizens United only supports Democrats. Its support for candidates doesn't rely solely on whether they renounce corporate PAC spending.

— There have been some fears that diminishing corporate contributions could wind up driving politicians away from the center by making them more dependent on firing up a grassroots donor base that’s more ideologically motivated. But several of the frontliners who don’t take corporate PAC money are considered moderates in their caucus and by definition aren’t running in safe Democratic seats.

— “These numbers are undeniable proof that Democrats do not need to take corporate PAC money to successfully compete in the most competitive districts — nor does it inhibit their ability to fundraise,” ECU spokesperson Bawadden Sayed told PI. “They’re proving that the conventional fundraising wisdom in Washington is wrong.”

— “In fact, by forgoing corporate PAC money, these members are galvanizing the grassroots donor base, and they end up raising more money from small dollar donors than they would have received from corporate PACs,” he argued.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. It may be recess, but we’re still around — let us know what’s going on out there: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

 

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SKDK NAMES NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Democratic consulting powerhouse SKDK has tapped Doug Thornell to be its next chief executive, The New York Times’ Shane Goldmacher reports, making Thornell “one of only a few Black executives to lead a major public relations and political consulting firm.”

— Thornell, whose resume Goldmacher notes spans “the entire alphabet soup of Democratic groups” — the DNC, DCCC, DSCC and Congressional Black Caucus , or CBC — has been with SKDK since 2011, joining as a senior vice president in the public affairs practice before being promoted to managing director and then partner. He currently oversees SKDK’s paid media and political consulting practice. He’ll succeed current CEO Josh Isay, who will step down after nearly two decades at the helm of SKDK but stay on as a senior counselor.

— SKDK’s client roster includes major companies as well as nonprofits and political candidates — including President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. Since Biden’s victory, the firm has maintained close ties with the White House, with founding partner Anita Dunn moving back and forth between the White House (where she currently serves as a senior aide to Biden) and SKDK several times, a revolving door that has concerned ethics experts. FEC filings show the firm this year has done work for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), whose reelection bid is one of the cycle’s most high-profile races, as well as the DCCC.

— Thornell told the Times that “it would be one of his goals to promote the next generation of leaders from a diverse set of backgrounds in the public-relations space, and to ‘make sure both the public affairs world and the political consulting world looks like this country.’

SAUDI GOLF LEAGUE TAPS WASHINGTON VET TO LEAD COMMS: Jonathan Grella has joined LIV Golf, the new golf league financed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that has challenged the PGA Tour’s grip on the sport and sparked blowback in Washington, as its chief communications officer.

— Grella previously ran JAG Public Affairs , and before that served as an executive of the U.S. Travel Association, communications director for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and press secretary to former House GOP leader Tom DeLay. “I’m thrilled to be part of the excitement that LIV is bringing to golf. This is a startup with a very bright future,” Grella told PI in a text.

— The new league has prompted accusations from critics that it’s a means for the Saudi kingdom to “sports-wash” its record on human rights, and split the sports and political worlds alike. Officials for the league have argued LIV’s aim is to help grow the sport while giving players more agency.

— After the PGA Tour banned players who defected for LIV from competing in future PGA Tour events, several of those players sued the tour on antitrust grounds, earning plaudits from critics of the PGA Tour. The Justice Department is reportedly investigating the PGA Tour for antitrust violations as well. LIV veered further into the political landscape by scheduling two of its tournaments at former President Donald Trump’s golf clubs, and its events have attracted protests by the families of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

D.C.’S HOTTEST CLUB IS… ‘BRUNCH BUNCH’: POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs reports on an “increasingly popular fad in money raising : access to a bundle of small gatherings that lobbyists can purchase. Instead of brief facetime with a lawmaker at a single event, they are offered the opportunity to develop almost a familial relationship with him or her over a series of them.”

— “For instance, one can break bread within Sen. Ben Ray Luján ’s ‘leadership circle.’ Donors who reserve a seat in the New Mexico Democrat’s gold level campaign club with a $1,000 check are guaranteed a spot at a series of events promoted by his campaign as intimate gatherings.” Other such clubs include Sen. Jeanne Shaheen ’s (D-N.H.) and Rep. Darren Soto ’s (D-Fla.) separate “kitchen cabinets” and Rep. Virginia Foxx ’s (R-N.C.) “Brunch Bunch,” the latter of which costs $1,000 for one event or up to $5,000 for the entire “series of seven brunches.”

— The idea is to "entice donations from individuals ... rather than corporate political action committees." Meanwhile "lobbyists can, in turn, use their membership as a sell for potential new clients. The groups have become part of the ecosystem of Congress and K Street, several lobbyists said, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle leaning into the concept.”

— “But campaign finance experts questioned whether the groups were inching close to a kind of ‘pay-to-play’ program. Jeff Hauser, the founder of the Revolving Door Project, said that the groups appear to facilitate ‘even more efficient corruption.’”

RIP TO YOUR INBOX: “Political fundraising emails are notoriously a mix of over-exaggerations, routine misrepresentations and ALL CAP PLEAS. Relief is not on the way,” our Zach Montellaro writes.

— The FEC “gave its blessing to a program proposed by Google on Thursday that will effectively allow federal campaigns and other political committees to bypass spam filters and land in the inbox of Gmail users. The commission, in a 4-1 vote, said that Google’s program would not amount to an impermissible contribution to the committees, clearing the way for the search giant to implement the program should it so choose.”

— “The FEC has been inundated with thousands of comments about the proposal, which one commissioner called ‘record breaking,’ with virtually all of them urging the agency to not approve the program. ‘NO,’ one submitted on the eve of the hearing read in its entirety. The Democratic National Committee weighed in to oppose the pilot program,” which is set to run through January unless the program “degrades the user experience.”

— A majority of commissioners approved the program, if reluctantly, Zach reports. “‘I am going to support [the program]. I don’t want to, and it is for the same reason all the commenters don’t want to,’ Dara Lindenbaum, a Democratic commissioner, said. But she voted for the program because she believed it was within the law.” She was joined by the three Republican commissioners — Allen Dickerson, Trey Trainor and Sean Cooksey, while Democratic commissioner Ellen Weintraub voted against it and Democratic commissioner Shana Broussard abstained.

Jobs Report


Galia Slayen is now a strategic communications executive at The Lede Company, focusing on clients in entertainment, media and music. She previously was a director at FGS Global and is a Mike Bloomberg, Steve Bullock and JB Pritzker alum.

Bart Tessel is now chief innovation officer at the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. He previously was head of corporate development and M&A at ABB Optical Group.

Tristan Daedalus is now government affairs director at the White Coat Waste Project. He previously was with the American Horticulture Industry Association, and is a Pat Fallon and Matt Salmon alum.

Aaron Rodriguez is now vice president of communications at Moyer Strategies. He most recently worked at the Immigration Hub and is an Obama administration, Human Rights Campaign and Zoe Lofgren alum.

Conor McGrath has joined Context Strategies as a senior account manager with a focus on clients in the health care and life sciences sectors. He was previously an account supervisor at Schmidt Public Affairs.

Peter Kadushin has joined Trident DMG as a vice president. He most recently led Amazon’s global PR and issues management communications for topics such as counterfeit products, fake reviews, product liability, and intellectual property. He’s also a Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Duggan alum. Abby Kleman is joining Trident DMG as an assistant account manager. She was previously an intern at the firm.

Timothy Hunt will be the next chief executive of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine. Hunt will succeed Janet Lynch Lambert, who announced in April that she would step down from the role.

New Joint Fundraisers

GOP Winning Women-Texas (Rep. Mayra Flores, Tanya for Arizona, Cassy for Congress, Committee to Elect Jennifer-Ruth Green, Esther for Congress, Kiggans for Congress)

New PACs

Astranis Space Technologies Corp. Political Action Committee (PAC)
Healthcare for Action PAC (PAC)
Longshoremen 1359-1860 PAC Fund (PAC)
Mercury Systems Inc. Employees' Political Action Committee (MRCYPAC) (PAC)
Oklahoma 1st Step PAC (PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

A1.9 Strategies LLC: Intact Technology
Aurora Strategic Advisors: Olmsted County
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Kohler Co.
North Star Strategies, LLC: Isaiah House Treatment Center

New Lobbying Terminations

Rose Law Group, P.C.: Fondomonte Arizona LLC
The Vogel Group: Quantum Energy, Inc.
Von Batten-Montague-York: Neosensory
Von Batten-Montague-York: Ogaden Community Of USa

 

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