Tell your friends to vote against the money bomb
Voters in the City of Spokane are the recipients of a Republican wealthy interest money bomb. Please read Luke Baumgarten’s superb analysis of campaign and “independent” expenditures in this election cycle. On Saturday, November 3, even the Spokesman picked up the story and weighed in with an article by Emry Dinman. Dinman’s article, in classic Spokesman fashion, blurs the point thanks to its both-sides-ism. The online headline, ‘One of the few places where a Democrat or a Republican could legitimately win…’, implies evenness even as the article itself provides multiple demonstrations of wealthy Republican interest groups like “Spokane Good Government Alliance” and the “National Association of Realtors” trying to buy the election. Their favored Republican candidates are Woodward, Plese, Cathcart, Treloar, and Moore, whom they support with gobs of money raised from relatively few people and businesses and spend lavishly on breathless, misleading attack ads:
The largest independent expenditures supporting candidates anywhere in the state aren’t going to high-stakes City Council races in Washington’s largest city, Seattle – they’re going to support conservative-leaning candidates in Spokane. The National Association of Realtors, for instance, has donated over $430,000 to support Woodward and affiliated candidates for Spokane City Council, nearly twice as much as the group has invested in Seattle candidates.
At the very bottom of Dinman’s article (should you have the persistence to read that far) is a nod to the 500 pound independent-spending gorilla, the so-called “Spokane Good Government Alliance” fueled by donations from just 48 individuals and businesses:
Amid record-breaking spending meant to sway Spokane voters, one group stands alone: the Spokane Good Government Alliance. A conservative political action committee created in 2019 to stump on behalf of then-candidate for mayor Woodward, the Alliance has raised $1.4 million to buoy the more conservative candidates in every city election this year: Woodward, Plese, Cathcart, Treloar and Moore.
The group already has spent over $1.3 million of that war chest, including over $430,000 on digital advertising, over $380,000 on TV advertising and nearly $190,000 on print advertising, such as mailers. The vast majority of all attack ads in local elections this year were paid for by the alliance, which has spent more to attack liberals – $835,672 – than to support conservatives with positive ads.
And then there’s a notation of McMorris Rodgers’ political machine connection:
John Estey, the executive director of Spokane Good Government Alliance and campaign manager for Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, wrote in an email the group hoped to inform voters about “radical-left” candidates for local office and encourage them to support their conservative opponents.
If you’re tired of a few wealthy business interests and outside Republican money (e.g. the National Realtors) trying to buy Spokane elections be sure to vote for Lisa Brown (mayor), Betsy Wilkerson (city council president), Lindsey Shaw (District 1, NE), Paul Dillon (District 2, S), and Kitty Klitzke (District 3, NW).
For more recommendations and a guide to voter’s guides click here.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry