Doug Jones’ PAC donates to Dems seeking to oust Alabama’s GOP incumbents
It looks like Alabama’s newly elected Democratic U.S. Sen. Doug Jones is hoping expand Alabama’s Democratic presence in Washington come January. Earlier this month, he made donations through his leadership PAC to all of the Democratic candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives that are hoping to oust incumbent Republicans. The donations came through his leadership PAC, the Seeking Justice Committee, on Oct. 12: 1st District: $2,500 to Robert Kennedy Jr. who is challenging Rep. Bradley Byrne 2nd District: $2,500 to Tabitha Isner who is challenging Rep. Martha Roby 3rd District $2,500 to Mallory Hagan who is challenging Rep. Mike Rogers 4th District $2,500 to Lee Auman who is challenging Rep. Robert Aderholt 5th District $2,500 to Peter Joffrion who is challenging Rep. Mo Brooks 6th District $2,500 to Danner Kline who is challenging Rep. Gary Palmer Jones’ PAC donations follow his observations of the ineffectiveness of the Alabama Democratic Party who he has said essentially does nothing to support Democratic candidates. “Our candidates are going to have to go it alone, just like I did,” Jones said in August. “We need to have a party. We don’t have a party. There is no social media. There’s no outreach. There’s no get out the vote effort. There’s no organization. There’s no field. And the vote today was simply to keep that.” Whether Jones’ donations will make a difference in Alabama’s races where Republicans are expected to overwhelmingly win remains to be seen. The general election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Randall Woodfin ready to play political king-maker, launches PAC for progressive Democrats
Not even a full year into his first term at City Hall and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin is ready to play political king-maker. In an op-ed published Monday on AL.com, Woodfin announced the launch of his new Political Action Committee (PAC), which aims to “elect the next generation of progressive Democratic leadership in Alabama.” “NextGen Alabama seeks to modify this antiquated approach to Democratic campaigning by focusing on movement building and longevity. We must meet voters in their communities, on their doorsteps and in their churches. That is the only way Democrats will be able to flip conservative states in the South,” Woodfin wrote. Registered with the Secretary of State back in May, the PAC, Next Generation Alabama, or NextGen Alabama for short, hopes to essentially turn Alabama’s red tide (or crimson as it may be for some households), blue. “If you find yourself – like me – representing a blue island in a sea of red, you have an obligation to change the tide for the communities you serve,” explained Woodfin. Woodfin hopes to change the ground game for Alabama progressives seeking office, by prioritizing grassroots organizing and voter contact. To that end, the PAC will “only support progressive candidates that are unapologetic about engaging directly with our base and infrequent voters.” NextGen Alabama shares its name in part with a national Super PAC, NextGen America. Created by liberal, billionaire Tom Steyer, NextGen America is a large donor behind Woodfin’s good friend Andrew Gillum, the underdog candidate who surprisingly bested his Democratic opponents and won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination just last month. Whether or not Woodfin’s venture has any ties to Steyer remains to be seen.
Troy King files ethics complaint against opponent, AG Steve Marshall
The primary runoff race for Alabama Attorney General is once again heating up now that both candidates, Troy King and Steve Marshall, have resumed their campaigns following the tragic death of Marshall’s wife. On Monday, King filed a complaint against Marshall with the Alabama Ethics Commission, accusing Marshall and his staff of accepting PAC-to-PAC money despite the state’s ban. The complaint details how King believes Marshall transferred at least $435,000 from the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) PAC to his campaign fund, which has since been spent on television commercials, robocalls, direct mail to voters and other campaign activities. “As Attorney General, Steve Marshall should be upholding the law, not breaking it. Campaign finance laws should apply to him, just like they apply to everyone else,” King said. “As a former Attorney General, I understand that only when our laws are enforced as written do they act as an honest deterrent to election campaign wrongdoing. I am asking the Alabama Ethics Commission to investigate and prosecute this case swiftly and to the fullest extent of the law.” The state’s PAC-to-PAC ban In 2010, the State Legislature passed the PAC-to-PAC ban in 2010 in order to restrict donor’s ability to hide contributions by shuffling them through multiple PAC’s. AL.com recently reported that Marshall’s campaign found a loophole in the law and is doing nothing wrong. In fact, Marshall’s campaign told Alabama Today they’re pleased to accept the RAGA support. “We are pleased to have received support from RAGA Action Fund and trust they have complied with Alabama law,” Julia Mazzone said on behalf of the Marshall campaign. But King points to similar instance involving a RAGA PAC donation that occurred in 2014. Then former Attorney General Luther Strange tried accept a donation from the PAC, but ultimately returned the funds due to the PAC-to-PAC ban after an ethics complaint was filed against him. “Marshall should return the illegal money he received into his campaign immediately,” King continued. “Steve’s Marshall’s flagrant disregard for the law shows that he is not part of cleaning Montgomery up. Instead, he is among its biggest polluters. The corruption will not end until those who are corrupting the system are removed from office. Alabamians who are sick and tired of business as usual will have their say soon enough when they cast their votes on July 17th.” Knowingly violating the PAC-to-PAC ban is considered a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine. This article has been updated to include a statement from the Marshall campaign.
Democrat’s Senate Majority PAC heavily funded Doug Jones’ campaign
Highway 31, a mysterious super PAC that backed Democratic candidate Doug Jones and was the largest independent spender in the Alabama Senate race, spent millions attacking Roy Moore throughout the campaign season. But unlike other campaign spenders, the particular group refused to disclose who the donors were behind its multi-million ad buy until after Election Day. On Wednesday, it was revealed the PAC was heavily funded by the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, a group solely dedicated to building a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. Chris Hayden, spokesman for the Senate Majority PAC, told the Associated Press on Tuesday the group “predominantly funded” the Highway 31 PAC, which sent out advertising and mailings to help defeat Republican Moore. The PAC spent roughly $6 million in Alabama, according to Hayden.
Super PAC attacking Roy Moore won’t disclose donors, FEC asked to investigate
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has been asked to investigate a super PAC that is spending large amounts against Republican senate candidate Roy Moore, but is not showing any donations. Highway 31, a super PAC backing Democratic candidate Doug Jones and the largest independent spender in the Alabama Senate race, has spent millions attacking Moore. But unlike other campaign spenders, this particular group refuses to disclose who the donors are behind its multi-million ad buy before Election Day. On Monday, Baldwin County businessman Kevin Spriggs asked the FEC to investigate the mysterious super PAC. “Mr. Commissioner – As a resident of Alabama, I have noticed a Super PAC titled ‘Highway 31’ running numerous campaign commercials in the Mobile. Ala. television market, including an ad during the SEC Championship football game,” Spriggs said in his request to FEC Chairman Mathew Peterson. “A search of the FEC website shows hundreds of thousands of dollars of expenses without any donors. I also checked the irs.gov website for forms 8871 and 8872 required to be filed by 527 organizations. No filings are shown for donors and expenses. If donations and expenses exceed $50,000, the IRS requires an electronic filing of form 8872.” Spriggs continued, “I am asking you to please investigate this matter as it appears that this Highway 31 organization is evading campaign finance law by not disclosing their donors.” Lachlan Markay of the Daily Beast explained the situation further : Super PACs are required to disclose their donors, but the group Highway 31 has structured its spending in a way that campaign-finance experts say is almost unprecedented. While legal, it will have the effect of obscuring the group’s benefactors, who will have financed a series of ads over the last two months of the campaign propping up Jones and hammering his Republican opponent, former State Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore. Highway 31 has reported nearly $2 million worth of ads in the race, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission… The group filed what was expected to be its first itemized disclosure of donors and expenditures Thursday. But in the filing, Highway 31 said it had received and spent no money whatsoever. Spriggs says he has not received any reply from the FEC, but he hopes for action before the Dec. 12 special election when Moore faces off against Jones Under FEC rules, final contributor and expense disclosure reports are not required to be filed until Jan. 21, 2018.
Alabama donor Stan Pate forms anti-Luther Strange PAC
Tuscaloosa-Republican Stan Pate is making it crystal clear: he does not want to see interim U.S. Sen. Luther Strange back in the United States Senate. On Wednesday the outspoken real estate developer registered the Swamp Drainers Foundation, a PAC, that according to Politico, he intends to use against Strange in the coming months. Strange, who from 2011 to February 2017 had served as Alabama’s attorney general until former-Gov. Robert Bentley appointed him to the U.S. Senate, faces his first test of confidence with his constituents when they decide whether or not they want to give him another chance in the Senate in the Aug. 15 GOP primary. If Pate’s PAC has anything to do with it, Strange won’t be headed back to Washington in 2018. Pate’s decision to form the PAC, if anything, should not be surprising. He has long spoken-out against Strange and has a history of putting his money where his mouth is. Over the years, the 52-year-old self-made millionaire has spent millions on political campaigns.
Joe Biden launching fundraising PAC amid 2020 speculation
Former Vice President Joe Biden is launching a political action committee amid speculation that he may run for president in 2020. Biden plans to announce Thursday that he’s forming the “American Possibilities” PAC. The committee will allow him to raise money for candidates and maintain relationships with longtime donors. In an email to supporters and a Medium post, Biden plans to say that “the negativity, the pettiness, the small-mindedness of our politics drives me crazy.” Biden isn’t mentioning President Donald Trump by name but says that kind of politics is “not who we are.” The 74-year-old Biden has said he probably won’t run for president in 2020 but hasn’t totally ruled it out. He strongly considered running in 2016. Biden’s former White House aide Greg Schultz will run the PAC. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Luther Strange supporters launch joint-fundraising effort for crowded Senate race
He’s only been in office a few short months and already Sen. Luther Strange is having to do something most sitting senators don’t have to worry about but once every six years — campaign to keep his seat. Facing a bevy of primary challengers — former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore; State Rep. Ed Henry; President of the Christian Coalition of Alabama Dr. Randy Brinson; Birmingham businessman Dom Gentile — Strange has his work cut out for him preparing for the August 15 GOP primary. Which is precisely why a new joint-fundraising effort has been launched on his behalf. Seeking to boost the senator’s chance of winning the primary and to clear a path for a December special election victory, former Republican National Committee CFO Benjamin Ottenhoff filed the paperwork on Tuesday creating the Strange Victory Committee to fundraise on behalf of Strange for Senate and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). The move should come as no surprise as NRSC communications director Katie Martin told Politico last month, “We have made it very clear from the beginning that Sen. Luther Strange would be treated as an incumbent. It has also been a clear policy that we will not use vendors who work against our incumbents.” Martin said Strange is considered an incumbent by the NRSC and will be protected like one. Fundraising aside, Strange may already have a leg-up on his opponents. According to his campaign’s latest filing with the Federal Election Commission he already has $763,612 cash-on-hand. Last month Gov. Kay Ivey moved the date of the special election to 2017 from 2018, giving little time for his opponents to catch up on the fundraising front. Prior to that, the special election was set to coincide with the 2018 regular election cycle as set by former-Gov. Robert Bentley. “I promised to steady our ship of state. This means following the law, which clearly states the people should vote for a replacement U.S. Senator as soon as possible,” Ivey said in a statement. “The new US Senate special election dates this year are a victory for the rule of law.” In February, Bentley appointed Strange to the Senate seat to replace Jeff Sessions. The GOP primary will be his first test of approval to see if Alabamians support Bentley’s decision.
Secretary of State John Merrill says 92 candidates, PACS violate Alabama finance rules
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill says 92 political candidates and Political Action Committees (PACs) have broken campaign finance rules. Annually, by January 31, candidates that spend or raise more than $1,000 must file campaign finance reports showing campaign contributions and expenditures. In 2017, more than 1,000 candidates and PACs were required to file their 2016 Annual Report. As of Monday, 92 have not yet taken the steps necessary to reach full compliance. Merrill on Monday publicly released of all the candidates and PACs who missed the January deadline. “Our intention in releasing these names to the public is to further encourage candidates and PACs to bring their filings into compliance allowing the citizens of our state to review the extent of their fiscal responsibility,” Merrill said in a press release. At this time, no administrative penalties exist for those who missed the deadline. Beginning with the 2018 Election Cycle, which begins in June, administrative penalties will be levied. $300, or 10% of contributions or expenditures not reported, for first time offenders $600, or 15% of contributions or expenditures not reported, for second time offenders $1,200, or 20% of contributions or expenditures not reported, for third and subsequent offenses The full list of candidates and PACs not in compliance with the annual reporting requirement is available here.
11th Circuit upholds Alabama PAC transfer ban
A federal appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of Alabama’s campaign law, which bans the transfer of campaign contributions between one political action committee (PAC) to another. On Tuesday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower federal court ruling that the 2010 law is not an unconstitutional prohibition on free political speech. The court said Alabama has a sufficiently important issue in preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption, that the PAC-to-PAC transfer ban supports this interest. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange hailed the court’s ruling. “The appeals court ruling is a significant victory in Alabama’s ongoing fight against public corruption,” said Strange. “The PAC-to-PAC transfer ban has been instrumental in limiting campaign corruption while adding greater transparency to the elections process. I am pleased the federal appeals court upheld the constitutionality of this important law.” The Alabama Democratic Conference (ADC), one of the Yellowhammer state’s oldest political organizations, sued state officials over a portion of the law. The appellate court’s three-judge panel ruled the law did not prevent the ADC from raising funds otherwise to support its activities. “The ban does not limit the amount of money the ADC can raise; it only limits the ADC’s ability to raise money through a specific type of donation — PAC-to-PAC transfers,” said the opinion, written by U.S. Circuit Judge Beverly Martin. “Moreover, the ban does not directly affect the ADC’s campaign contributions or independent expenditures. The ADC can continue to make unlimited contributions and independent expenditures.” Following the decision, Joe Reed, executive director of the ADC, said the decision would make it harder for the ADC to raise funds. “Not only ADC, it’s going to be harder for everybody,” he said.
AG Luther Strange lauds federal campaign finance ruling
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said Monday that a federal court has upheld of a state law that prohibits transfers of political contributions from one PAC to another PAC. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama ruled in favor of the state last Friday in the case of Alabama Democratic Conference v. Strange. The court ruled the state has an interest at hand — preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption — so compelling that despite a raft of recent rulings claiming such contributions and transfers are 1st Amendment-protected speech, Alabama did not act improperly in restricting them. The ruling stated that although campaign contributions and transfers thereof should be given the presumption of legality since they are de jure equivalent to political speech, Alabama’s law was crafted carefully enough to avoid encroaching on that speech. The court ruled moreover the law was properly aimed at prohibiting only the kinds of illicit transfers of campaign cash primarily aimed at hiding the original source, thereby evading public scrutiny. Strange applauded the move in a release Monday. “I am pleased that the Court has upheld this important tool in Alabama’s ongoing fight against public corruption,” said Strange, first elected AG in 2010 after ousting incumbent Troy King in a GOP primary. “We will continue to defend the PAC-to-PAC transfer law whenever necessary.” Strange also commended his office’s Will Parker, an assistant AG in the Constitutional Defense Division. The ruling was a coup for Strange, who is an ardent supporter of a strong state role within the nation’s federal system. The plaintiff had sought relief against the state’s head law enforcement officer, saying the law was an unnecessarily onerous burden on political activity.
Libertarian donors put up $6 million for Rand Paul GOP bid
Deep-pocketed libertarians are giving big to help Rand Paul win the Republican presidential primary. Three super PACS supporting the libertarian-leaning Kentucky senator said they raised a combined $6 million through June 30. That’s on top of the nearly $7 million that Paul’s campaign reported pulling in between his April announcement and the end of last month. “There are some very wealthy libertarians out there, and they’re all going to be hearing from me,” said Ed Crane, president of one of the pro-Paul super PACs, called Purple PAC. “It’s a strong potential base for Rand.” Paul’s top backer so far is Jeff Yass, managing director of high-frequency trading firm Susquehanna International Group, who split a $2 million contribution last month between Purple PAC and another pro-Paul super PAC, America’s Liberty. Yass and Crane know each other through the Cato Institute, a free market think tank in Washington that began in the 1970s with the backing of billionaire energy executives Charles and David Koch. Crane is a co-founder, and Yass is a board member. Joining Yass in the $1 million donor club is George Macricostas, head of a data center company called RagingWire. Those two accounted for most of America’s Liberty’s $3.1 million in fundraising so far this year. A third super PAC, Concerned American Voters, has not yet filed a fundraising report, but its leaders said they’ve raised $1.9 million. Scott Banister, a tech investor in Silicon Valley, is among the donors. Matt Kibbe, senior adviser to Concerned American Voters and former leader of the libertarian activist group FreedomWorks, said Paul is testing the idea that libertarian donors will make a major investment in a candidate, not just a cause. “Libertarians are used to giving to ideas and issues campaigns,” Kibbe said. “Do they make the leap and give to a liberty-minded candidate with a pathway to victory? I think the answer is yes.” Paul is one of an expected 17 Republican presidential candidates, and he’s in the top half of the class for fundraising. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
