Posts tagged 2017 News

Report: Special Interests Gave More Than Half The Funds Raised By Michigan Lawmakers

Contributions from political action committees – also known as PACs – accounted for 54 percent of the total amount of money accepted by state lawmakers’ campaigns in 2017, according to a Spartan Newsroom analysis of Michigan campaign finance records. Even though 2017 was a non-election year, Michigan lawmakers raised nearly $8 million from all sources – individuals, parties, political action committees – to help them eventually run for re-election. read more

posted on 04/02/2018

Michigan Lobbyists Spent $39.4 Million Last Year

Lobbyists disclosed spending $39.4 million trying to influence state government in 2017. It’s the second highest total Michigan lobbyists have reported spending in a single year, according to state filings. The record spending total came one year ago in 2016 when lobbyists reported spending $39.9 million. read more

posted on 03/02/2018

3 Mayoral Races, 3 Stories Of Outside Money

This fall, mayoral elections in three of Michigan’s largest cities saw at least some involvement from outside groups. In two of the cities, the groups apparently avoided disclosing their donors and showed up in the final weeks before the election, providing little time for their targets to respond. read more

posted on 01/02/2018

The State's Major Election Spenders Are Collecting More Money Than They Did In Past Cycles

Four groups that are consistently among the top campaign spenders in Michigan are sitting on a strikingly massive amount of money for this early in an election cycle. As of Oct. 20, 2017 — just over a year before the 2018 election — those four committees reported having a combined $6.48 million available in their accounts. That total is up millions of dollars compared to where they were at this point in past gubernatorial election cycles. read more

posted on 10/31/2017

16 Lawmakers Have Received More Than $1,000 In Free Food And Drink So Far In 2017, Filings Show

Michigan lobbyists reported spending $540,598 on food and drink purchases for public officeholders over the first seven months of 2017, according to new state disclosures. That total is the second highest ever posted for the first seven months of a year and isn't far from the record. Some state officeholders, including high-ranking lawmakers, have received a larger portion of the free food and drink from lobbyists than others. read more

posted on 09/18/2017

Amid Push For Tax Incentives, Quicken Loans Boosted Lobbying Efforts, According To Disclosures

As its chairman pushed for tax breaks to help spur a 52-story development in downtown Detroit, mortgage company Quicken Loans increased its efforts to develop relationships with Lansing lawmakers. According to new disclosures, Quicken Loans spent more on lobbying state government in the first seven months of 2017 — $159,475 — than it had spent in an entire year previously. read more

posted on 09/11/2017

The Political Fight Over When School Should Start

Dollar signs abound in a renewed debate this spring over when Michigan schools should be able to start their academic years. A bill that would lift the state’s current ban on school starting before Labor Day advanced out of a Senate committee in March. But the bill, Senate Bill 271, is facing major pushback from business groups. read more

posted on 04/24/2017

Races For Michigan's 14 Seats In The U.S. House Attracted About $40 Million Last Cycle

Despite the fact that none of the general election results were close, the campaigns for Michigan's 14 congressional seats drew about $40.0 million, according to a review of campaign finance disclosures. About 17 percent of that total — $7 million — came from so-called “independent” spenders that can pay for unlimited amounts of TV ads and mailers to try to influence elections. read more

posted on 04/05/2017

Michigan Lawmakers Disclosed Having More Than 400 Fundraisers Last Year

State lawmakers who served in the Legislature last year self-reported having 414 campaign fundraisers in 2016, according to MCFN’s review of hundreds of campaign finance disclosures. About 46 percent of the events, 192 fundraisers, took place in Lansing on days either the House or the Senate was scheduled to be in session. read more

posted on 03/27/2017

Secret Donors And Interest Groups Continue To Dominate Races For Michigan’s Highest Court

The 2016 races for Michigan's highest court weren't competitive. Still, they attracted millions of dollars — much of it coming from undisclosed sources, as is the tradition in Michigan — with the winning side outspending the losing side by an estimated margin of 34 to one. “I was telling people it was 20 to one,” one of the losing candidates said. “I wanted to be conservative. And I guess I was.” read more

posted on 03/16/2017

2016: Another Record Year For Lobbying In Lansing

Last year saw more spending on lobbying than any year before, according to new filings with the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. Lobbyists in Michigan reported spending $39.99 million in 2016. It continues a general upward trend for spending to influence lawmakers. The previous high came just one year before in 2015 when lobbyists reported $38.66 million in spending. read more

posted on 03/03/2017

How Millions Of Dollars In Dark Money Helped Shape Michigan’s 2016 Elections

Michigan’s 2016 elections saw millions of dollars in political spending from groups whose donors remain hidden from public view. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network analyzed TV ad-tracking data and reviewed thousands of pages of disclosures on ad purchases to determine at least $6 million was spent on political TV ads in 2016 by groups whose donors didn’t have to be disclosed. read more

posted on 02/27/2017

DeVos Family Has Made At Least $82 Million In Political Contributions Since 1999, According To Campaign Finance Disclosures

While it’s impossible for the public to find out exactly how much money West Michigan’s DeVos family has spent on politics over the years, the number must fall somewhere above $82 million. As the U.S. Senate considers whether to confirm Betsy DeVos, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, as U.S. education secretary, the Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN) attempted to track her family's extensive political giving over the years. read more

posted on 01/27/2017

In Michigan, The Jump From Lawmaker To Lobbyist Is Usually A Quick One

Unlike Michigan, more than 30 states already have “cooling-off” measures in place, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Facing term limits, 38 lawmakers departed the Michigan House at the end of 2016. If recent history is any indication, several will become lobbyists, and those who do will most likely make the jump within the next six months. read more

posted on 01/17/2017

Some Potential Candidates For Governor Are Sitting On Stockpiles Of Campaign Cash

Multiple political operatives said this week a candidate for Michigan governor in a competitive primary race in 2018 would likely need about $3 million dollars in funding to contend in the primary alone. Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat — all potential candidates — are already on their way to that figure. And former Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has officially begun her fundraising efforts. read more

posted on 01/06/2017

A Boom Truck, A Campaign Sign And A Question Of Corporate Influence

In the murky world of campaigns and corporate spending to influence politics, answers can be elusive. More than two years after a company's boom truck was used to fly a Michigan House candidate's sign above a busy stretch of road, there are still questions about why the effort wasn't disclosed as campaign spending. read more

posted on 01/04/2017

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