The begging continues: Inslee struggling to raise dollars from small donors

Shift has previously told you about Jay Inslee’s frantic approach to month-end fundraising. First he creates a false bogeyman (like the Koch Brothers, or Republican Governors Association), then he claims that only some small amount of cash from the “grassroots” will allow our “green” governor to fight off the onslaught.

Well, as the general election draws nearer, Inslee is kicking his desperation up a notch.

We at Shift have received seven emails since Saturday from Team Inslee, with the volume turned up with each one. The latest – with the month-end deadline just hours away! – is laughable in its hyperbole about how much help Jay needs.

“Right now, we’re falling behind of our first major fundraising deadline since the primary ended. If this trend continues, we won’t hit our public, official fundraising goal. With our midnight deadline approaching, that is not good.”

This is a complete joke because the “official fundraising goal” Inslee set is $20,000 by midnight tonight – over the last five days. You can be guaranteed that he will receive many times that in a check from the state Democrat Party posted today, which has already washed over $1.5 million dollars through its accounts into his campaign.

And no solicitation is complete without fear, so in addition to a picture of Donald Trump, the campaign also suggests that they are powerless to stop massive spending against Jay that will start any day now: “What keeps me awake at night is knowing Jay’s opponent can tap into the deep pockets of right-wing special interest donors. With one request, he can turn on the special interest money faucet and have almost unlimited cash flood our state.”

This statement begs the question – if the unlimited cash can flow to Inslee’s opponent at any time, what are they waiting for?

So, the $10 or $25 check received from a “grassroots” donor is of little regard to the campaign. It will do little more than help cover the $10,000 monthly retainer of Inslee’s fundraising consultant who writes the emails.

What’s sad (for his fundraiser) is that Inslee has such a hard time convincing his regular donors to write even a nominal check for his re-election. Perhaps that is what screams loudest from his emails.