The PAC money is starting to fly…
With the primary election just a week away, the PAC money is flying, all around the state and on all sides of the political spectrum. Here’s just a sampling:
Doyle Beck of Idaho Falls donated $8,270 to the Republican Liberty Caucus PAC on May 7; the PAC reported also receiving $1,000 each from Thomas King of Burley and Jack and Dorothy Ivie of Challis. It spent $10,270 on mailers and postage to support legislative candidates Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, who’s seeking a second term; and challengers Bryan Zollinger, Jason West, Rod Beck, Dorothy Moon and Carl Berglund, all from May 7-9.
The Idaho Opportunity Project has received $27,705 from the Idaho Education Association, and spent it on mailings in regard to nine legislative candidates from both parties: Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow; Rep. Paulette Jordan, D-Plummer; Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee; Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise; Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise; Rep. Patrick McDonald, R-Boise; Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum; Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding – who isn’t seeking re-election; and Rep. Steve Miller, R-Fairfield. The mailings are described as “voter education,” neither for nor against the candidates.
Idaho Chooses Life reported spending $6,000 on broadcast advertising in support of Curt McKenzie for the Idaho Supreme Court on May 5; the group hasn’t yet filed its pre-primary report. The expenditure was included in the 48-hour filings that PACs and candidates must make when they receive a contribution of $1,000 or more, or make an independent expenditure of $1,000 or more, in the final two weeks before the primary.
IACI’s Idaho Prosperity Fund reported spending $11,020 on May 5, plus another $6,200 on May 9, on literature, postage, and broadcast advertising in support of these legislative candidates: David Smith, who’s running in a contested GOP primary for the House seat formerly held by Rep. Linden Bateman, R-Idaho Falls; Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint; Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene; Rep. Merrill Beyeler, R-Leadore; Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland; Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, who is unopposed; Rep. Dell Raybould, R-Rexburg; and Doug Ricks, who is challenging Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, in the GOP primary. It also added another $1,770 in support of Smith on May 4.
The North Idaho Voter project received $5,000 from CenturyLink Idaho PAC and $7,000 from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and spent $12,000 on May 5 for a get out the vote effort to benefit Malek and Peter Riggs, who’s running against Rep. Don Cheatham, R-Post Falls, in the GOP primary.
The Committee for Principled Government, a new PAC headed by Greyhound Park Event Center manager Doug Okuniewicz, spent $4,446 on April 26 for literature and postage opposing Malek and supporting his challenger, Art Macomber, in the GOP primary.
The Idaho Realtors Political Action Committee reports spending around $3,000 apiece on literature and postage supporting three GOP legislative incumbents: Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston; Rep. Kelley Packer, R-McCammon; and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls. It added another $1,770 in support of David Smith on May 9.
Professional Firefighters of Idaho reported spending $10,000 on May 4 for broadcast advertising supporting Malek.
The Republican North Idaho Political Action Committee reported spending $9,315 on May 6 for advertising to benefit Riggs; Keough; Malek; Paul Amador, who’s challenging Rep. Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d’Alene, in the GOP primary in District 4; and Ben Wolfinger, who’s seeking re-election as Kootenai County sheriff. It reported receiving $19,467 in contributions since Jan. 1, all from North Idaho, including $5,000 from the Ambrosiani Family Trust; $5,000 from former Sen. John Goedde’s campaign committee; and $2,500 from Todd Brinkmeyer of Post Falls.
Sportsmen for Idaho reported receiving $15,549 from the Conservation Voters for Idaho Action Fund, and spending all of it from May 4-6 on printing, literature and broadcast advertising supporting Beyeler; Ricks; Carl Crabtree, who’s challenging Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood, in the GOP primary in District 7; and Megan Blanksma, who’s challenging Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, in the GOP primary in District 23.
Idaho Freedom Action, the campaigning arm of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, reported collecting $30,600 since April 25, $20,000 of that from Doyle Beck; $7,000 from Diversified Equity Systems LLC of Idaho Falls, which shares an office location with attorney Bryan Smith; $3,500 from Coeur d’Alene Racing, which operates the Greyhound Park in Post Falls; and $100 from Wayne Hoffman, IFF president. The group reported spending $1,894 on May 3 on postcard mailers regarding Nate, Malek, Beyeler, Horman, Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, and Rep. Paul Romrell, R-St. Anthony; plus another $1,254 on May 5 regarding Packer, Horman, and Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry; the group said the mailers neither supported nor opposed the candidates, and instead were “voting record dissemination.”
Kootenai County Republican Concerned Citizens, a group that shares an acronym but no official connection with the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, reported receiving $11,500 since Jan. 1, $5,000 of that from Brent Regan of Coeur d’Alene; $3,000 from Doyle and Lynn Beck of Idaho Falls; $2,000 from Lois Hanson of Sandpoint; $1,000 from Preston and Carrie Hawkins of Pasadena, Calif.; $500 from Vote Vick. As of May 1, the group reported that it’s spent just $2,805, mostly for literature, advertising production and postage.
New Horizons PAC, a PAC established by House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, reported raising $23,000 since April 1, but not spending anything yet. Bedke said the PAC is “candidate-neutral,” and will be used for get-out-the-vote efforts to encourage Republicans to vote in the May 17 party primary.
Campaign finance reports are being scanned and posted on the Idaho Secretary of State's website here; the deadline is 5 p.m. today, but if there's a last-minute rush, some might not be up until tomorrow.
