Today we’ll look at OPI, Auditor, SoS, PSC races, and the Supreme Court.
OPI
Elsie Arntzen raised $1,700 for the period, spent $6,700 and has $2,300 in the bank.
Greg Hertz is the only big-name donor that I noticed. She had eight donors in all.
She didn’t spend much on many things, though I do question the $1,000 spent on a fundraiser when you only raised $1,700 for the 3-month period.
Another $2,300 was spent with Special Projects in Helena for bookkeeping, compliance reporting, and website development.
$1,400 was spent with Helena’s Sage Strategies for Internet marketing consultations.
$1,350 was spent with Salt Lake’s Arena Communication for website development and printing designs.
It’s good to see that most of Arntzen’s money is being spent with Montana companies. She’s going to need a lot more donors before November, however, if she wants to stay competitive. Since she has no primary opponent - and likely won’t - she won’t need to focus on this too heavily until next spring or summer.
Melissa Romano raised $15,000 for the period, spent $1,200 and has $26,000 in the bank.
She has a very large list of individual donors.
Most of her spending consists of fees played to ActBlue for all the fundraising she’s doing. Besides that, there’s not much.
$500 was spent with the Billings Times for 3,000 envelopes, and we have lots of gas purchases for travel to events in Miles City, Glendive, Sidney, Forsyth, and more. Bank account fees and stamps round out the spending.
Clearly, Romano is winning the fundraising game. By March 2016, both women had $36,000 in the bank. Romano is going to have more than that by March 2020.
Of all the statewide races, OPI has the greatest chance to flip into Democratic hands.
Hate will drive Democrats to the polls next year...their hate for Trump. Anyone else with a ‘D’ behind their name will get a vote.
I suspect most Republicans will be motivated as well, especially if the impeachment nonsense drags on well into next spring and summer.
It’s very hard to tell what’ll happen on the national stage, but I do feel Arntzen’s first term in office has made her weaker than when she was first running. Her lackluster fundraising compared to Romano’s makes that clear.
Greg Hertz is the only big-name donor that I noticed. She had eight donors in all.
She didn’t spend much on many things, though I do question the $1,000 spent on a fundraiser when you only raised $1,700 for the 3-month period.
Another $2,300 was spent with Special Projects in Helena for bookkeeping, compliance reporting, and website development.
$1,400 was spent with Helena’s Sage Strategies for Internet marketing consultations.
$1,350 was spent with Salt Lake’s Arena Communication for website development and printing designs.
It’s good to see that most of Arntzen’s money is being spent with Montana companies. She’s going to need a lot more donors before November, however, if she wants to stay competitive. Since she has no primary opponent - and likely won’t - she won’t need to focus on this too heavily until next spring or summer.
Melissa Romano raised $15,000 for the period, spent $1,200 and has $26,000 in the bank.
She has a very large list of individual donors.
Most of her spending consists of fees played to ActBlue for all the fundraising she’s doing. Besides that, there’s not much.
$500 was spent with the Billings Times for 3,000 envelopes, and we have lots of gas purchases for travel to events in Miles City, Glendive, Sidney, Forsyth, and more. Bank account fees and stamps round out the spending.
Clearly, Romano is winning the fundraising game. By March 2016, both women had $36,000 in the bank. Romano is going to have more than that by March 2020.
Of all the statewide races, OPI has the greatest chance to flip into Democratic hands.
Hate will drive Democrats to the polls next year...their hate for Trump. Anyone else with a ‘D’ behind their name will get a vote.
I suspect most Republicans will be motivated as well, especially if the impeachment nonsense drags on well into next spring and summer.
It’s very hard to tell what’ll happen on the national stage, but I do feel Arntzen’s first term in office has made her weaker than when she was first running. Her lackluster fundraising compared to Romano’s makes that clear.
Auditor
Troy Downing raised $64,000 for the period, spent $9,000 and has $55,000 left in the bank.
$60,000 of the money that Downing has came from two separate loans to himself, one in August and one at the end of September.
Sixteen individuals have given to Downing, including Tim Fox.
Downing has given $4,000 to Kentucky’s Strategic Impact for campaign consulting, and he’s paid Taylor Powell $4,000 so far for campaign scheduling and website work. That’s about it.
Shane Morigeau raised $28,000 for the period, spent $34,000 and has $5,500 left in the bank.
Most of Morigeau’s individual donors are from Helena, Missoula, Bozeman, and Great Fall. He’s getting his money from the cities, and that’s where his votes will come from as well. Democrats typically have troubles with the rural areas, in votes and fundraising...overall support, really.
Still, lots of people are giving him money. We’ll see how that plays out.
On the spending side, most is going to Missoula’s Alpha Graphics for various postcards, business cards, banners, and other campaign printing.
John Fauerbach gets $1,850 every two weeks to manage the campaign. Morigeau is paying both the Montana Dems and the national Dems for access to their VAN and voter contact records. Morigeau paid $1,500 to access 200,000 voter records kept at Dem HQ in D.C.
About $5,000 of Morigeau’s money comes from donations made to himself, and is listed as debt in his report.
Nelly Nicol is also listed as running, but she has no reports on file with COPP. She filed yesterday and is running as a Republican.
$60,000 of the money that Downing has came from two separate loans to himself, one in August and one at the end of September.
Sixteen individuals have given to Downing, including Tim Fox.
Downing has given $4,000 to Kentucky’s Strategic Impact for campaign consulting, and he’s paid Taylor Powell $4,000 so far for campaign scheduling and website work. That’s about it.
Shane Morigeau raised $28,000 for the period, spent $34,000 and has $5,500 left in the bank.
Most of Morigeau’s individual donors are from Helena, Missoula, Bozeman, and Great Fall. He’s getting his money from the cities, and that’s where his votes will come from as well. Democrats typically have troubles with the rural areas, in votes and fundraising...overall support, really.
Still, lots of people are giving him money. We’ll see how that plays out.
On the spending side, most is going to Missoula’s Alpha Graphics for various postcards, business cards, banners, and other campaign printing.
John Fauerbach gets $1,850 every two weeks to manage the campaign. Morigeau is paying both the Montana Dems and the national Dems for access to their VAN and voter contact records. Morigeau paid $1,500 to access 200,000 voter records kept at Dem HQ in D.C.
About $5,000 of Morigeau’s money comes from donations made to himself, and is listed as debt in his report.
Nelly Nicol is also listed as running, but she has no reports on file with COPP. She filed yesterday and is running as a Republican.
SoS
Bryce Bennett raised $36,000 for the period, spent $13,000 and has $60,000 in the bank.
The list of individual donors is quite large.
Missoula’s Alphagraphics has been giving around $4,500 for printing so far. Helena’s What’s Next Strategies has received $4,000 for campaign consulting.
Besides that it’s mostly money spent on what appears to be a vast email campaign to raise money and awareness about his run. Bennett also got a really good deal on a flight to Denver for campaign meetings, just $197.
I can’t imagine Corey Stapleton finding such a deal.
Christi Jacobsen is working in the SoS office now, and filed today to run as a Republican. She doesn’t have any reports up yet.
Forest Mandeveille is listed to run as a Republican, but he has no reports on file with COPP.
Scott Sales raised $27,000 for the period, spent $2,300 and has $56,000 in the bank.
Sales is taking PAC money. So far he’s taken from Altria Group PAC, Charter PAC, Deloitte PAC, Montana Wood Products Association PAC, and Denbury Resources.
These contributions are typically $340.
Sales has a lot of individual donors.
He spent little this period, mostly with Print for Less based out of Livingston. He spent $600 for “literature,” which I don’t feel is a descriptive enough label for whatever that might have been.
Sales did pay $101 to Big Tobacco giant, Altria Client Services, for lodging in D.C. My, that’s an affordable stay.
Not much else to report.
The list of individual donors is quite large.
Missoula’s Alphagraphics has been giving around $4,500 for printing so far. Helena’s What’s Next Strategies has received $4,000 for campaign consulting.
Besides that it’s mostly money spent on what appears to be a vast email campaign to raise money and awareness about his run. Bennett also got a really good deal on a flight to Denver for campaign meetings, just $197.
I can’t imagine Corey Stapleton finding such a deal.
Christi Jacobsen is working in the SoS office now, and filed today to run as a Republican. She doesn’t have any reports up yet.
Forest Mandeveille is listed to run as a Republican, but he has no reports on file with COPP.
Scott Sales raised $27,000 for the period, spent $2,300 and has $56,000 in the bank.
Sales is taking PAC money. So far he’s taken from Altria Group PAC, Charter PAC, Deloitte PAC, Montana Wood Products Association PAC, and Denbury Resources.
These contributions are typically $340.
Sales has a lot of individual donors.
He spent little this period, mostly with Print for Less based out of Livingston. He spent $600 for “literature,” which I don’t feel is a descriptive enough label for whatever that might have been.
Sales did pay $101 to Big Tobacco giant, Altria Client Services, for lodging in D.C. My, that’s an affordable stay.
Not much else to report.
PSC and Court
For PSC #2, we just have Daniel Zolnikov and he raised $10,000 for the period, spent $3,300, and has $6,500 left in the bank.
$3,000 of his funding was donated by himself.
PSC #3 has two candidates, but only Tom Woods has any reports. He raised $3,650 for the period, spent $11,000 and has $3,700 left in the bank.
$10,000 of his total donations for the election were donated to himself.
PSC #4 has 5 different candidates vying for the seat. I’m not going to go through those reports right now.
Michael Black is the only one running for the Montana Supreme Court, so far. He raised $43,000 for the period, spent $5,500 and has $43,000 in the bank.
$22,000 of his funds were donated to himself.
John Heenan, Jonathan Motl, Rex Renk, and Mike Wheat all donated to him, so you know he’s a Democrat.
“The court shouldn’t be political,” he said in July. “You don’t want politics involved in judicial matters.”
Tim Plazby of Plazby Solutions is running his campaign.
$3,000 of his funding was donated by himself.
PSC #3 has two candidates, but only Tom Woods has any reports. He raised $3,650 for the period, spent $11,000 and has $3,700 left in the bank.
$10,000 of his total donations for the election were donated to himself.
PSC #4 has 5 different candidates vying for the seat. I’m not going to go through those reports right now.
Michael Black is the only one running for the Montana Supreme Court, so far. He raised $43,000 for the period, spent $5,500 and has $43,000 in the bank.
$22,000 of his funds were donated to himself.
John Heenan, Jonathan Motl, Rex Renk, and Mike Wheat all donated to him, so you know he’s a Democrat.
“The court shouldn’t be political,” he said in July. “You don’t want politics involved in judicial matters.”
Tim Plazby of Plazby Solutions is running his campaign.
