Ken Gordon, did you just “out” your party? Earlier this month, Clean Slate Now, the embattled SuperPAC accused of taking big money to help in favored races, published a post about “special interest” money in politics. (Kinda reminded us of our own post.) The conclusion was clear: Democrats, not Republicans, have by far received the most special interest dollars.
And, who came to that conclusion? None other than Democrat, and former Senate Majority Leader, Ken Gordon. And, we’re not talking about pocket change, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars for state House and Senate races. But, we think it’s funny that Gordon was the one to finally admit that Democrats love them some special interest money.
Here’s how Clean Slate Now broke it down – Colorado Peak Politics put into chart form.
House Races with the Most Political Group and PAC Contributions (Through 8/1) Reporting Period:
For the party that likes to toss accusations of big campaign money constantly (ahem, yes, we’re talking to you Democratic Party), it’s worth noting that Democratic candidates have received at least twice as much, and up to 17 times as much, from special interest groups. Please note that Cindy Acree is the only Republican who has received more than her Democratic counterpart. Of course, we’ve also heard that Greg John Buckner is stinking up the place with his campaign, so that might explain the deviation from pattern. Of course, the fact that an organization run by the former Democratic Senate Majority Leader cannot remember his name, certainly doesn't bode well for him. (Same with Kagan – who is Brian Kagan?)
The post also highlighted the top five most active political committees through the August 1 financial filing.
Most Active PACs/Political Groups During the August 1 Reporting Period
Looking at the chart simply as the “top five” may not give you a clear picture of the money flow. Of the top five groups, three are union groups, and two are not. Breaking it down by amount donated, the unions give almost three times as much as the nonunion political organizations. Worth noting, unions gave almost entirely to Democrats. The largest nonunion organization donors, the Realtor PAC, also was Clean Slate Now’s most bipartisan organization, which means that some went to Democrats and some went to Republicans.
The bottom line is that even Dems acknowledge that the Democratic Party is the party of special interests.
And, of course, we welcome Ken Gordon or any of his staff to take inspiration from the Peak in the interest of making other Dems look like the special interest puppets that they are.