Moxie Media is a Seattle-based political consulting firm that, year after year, gets its business from Democrats seeking political office and liberal groups seeking to trash Republicans through independent expenditure advertising. Despite being slapped with the largest campaign finance fine in state history just four years ago, Moxie Media continues to be one of the most utilized political consulting firms for the Left.
This Throw Back Thursday, we’re taking a look into Moxie Media’s sketchy past and its continued success thanks to liberal clients who don’t appear care in the least of the firm’s reputation.
Moxie Media’s troubles started in 2010 when the firm engaged in a campaign scheme that, in the end, ousted an incumbent Democrat state senator in favor of a more liberal Democrat (former state Senator Nick Harper). The firm’s scheme involved shuffling “money among shell committees during the 2010 primary to promote a little-known Republican and conceal the source of misleading robocalls and mailers against then-state Sen. Jean Berkey.”
Following a complaint, the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) ultimately concluded that Moxie Media “violated state laws by not properly identifying funding sources.” Moxie Media was ordered to pay a total of $290,000 in fines and legal costs.
The scandal—and history-making fine—did not make a dent in Moxie Media’s reputation among Democrats. In fact, since receiving its historic fine, Moxie Media’s reputation actually appears to have improved among Democrats.
In 2012, the firm “landed some of the most coveted Democratic political contracts” and grossed “nearly $2 million for state-level consulting and direct-mail work.” Moxie Media’s success is still more impressive—or ridiculous depending on the way you look at it—considering $2 million is twice what it made in 2010, prior to receiving its hefty fine.
In 2014, Moxie Media’s clients included a variety of Democrat front groups that spent hundreds of thousands attacking Republicans and hiding donors in a failed attempt to defeat Sen. Doug Ericksen, Sen. Steve O’Ban, Sen. Andy Hill and then- Republican candidate Mark Miloscia. These clients included the inappropriately named Sensible Leadership for Whatcom, 28th District Citizens for Real Democracy, Eastside Integrity PAC, and Principled Leadership in the 30th LD—all groups that took marching orders from California billionaire Tom Steyer and the who’s who of liberal special interests groups.
Moxie Media’s input into the 2015 election cycle included running—ironically enough—the labor front group “Honest Elections Seattle” campaigning for Initiative 122. The initiative, which Seattle voters passed, allows Seattle candidates to opt into a system where voters can give $100 to candidates they like. Another property tax hike would fund the $100 vouchers. In words, homeowners will fund vouchers to let other people give that money away. As Shift previously reported, the true intention of I-122 is to see if the campaign strategy—which heavily favors Democrats—is viable on a larger scale.
Moxie Media already has its future job prospects all lined-up. According to the latest reports, the firm has been hired to push the extreme “green” initiative that seeks to implement a cap-and-tax scheme. Of course, Moxie Media is the perfect group to run an initiative that depends on misinformation and manipulation for success—they are two strategies the firm excels at.
Moxie Media’s continued success in accruing clients despite its scandal-tainted reputation serves as proof that, for Democrats and liberal organizations, illegal behavior is respected—and rewarded.
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