Now that ballots are on their way to voters, Shift is shining a spotlight on those liberal special interests which are doing their best – with big money – to elect Democrats and advance big-government initiatives this year. We started off yesterday with the Democrats’ favorite mega-donor – Nick Hanuaer – who is closing in on $3 million contributed to liberal causes this year.
Today we look at a longtime political player, the Washington Conservation Voters (WCV). While WCV used to pretend it was bi-partisan, even the Seattle P-I points out that the “Washington Conservation Voters used to endorse several Republicans each cycle, and had a pair of GOP moderates on its board. No more. It is now in deep with the Democrats.”
To make sure it’s a player this year, the WCV has scooped up over a half million to wash into liberal campaigns since Labor Day, some $295k of that from its parent, the national League of Conservation Voters, to better hide the true source of the funds. Not asking to be shielded from their contributions to WCV are the ultra-green power couple Peter Goldman and Martha Kongsgaard, who put in $50k.
And where is that money going? Well, the Seattle Times points out today that the WCV is behind a nasty attack ad against Republican Steve McLaughlin, who is running for Commissioner of Public Lands. According to the Times, “The ad campaign was paid for with a $220,000 independent expenditure disclosed in reports released Tuesday by the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC). That ad is expected to be seen by 1.7 million households in the Puget Sound area on cable TV in the next three weeks and to create just over 2 million “impressions” online to voters in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.”
The P-I writes that even more money than that is involved in the LCV’s attack effort, trying to help Democrat Hilary Franz in her bid to become Lands Commissioner. “The Washington Conservation Voters Action Fund has put in $105,729 as a pro-Franz “independent” expenditure and has made a $220,663 buy for cable TV and digital ads with the Washington, D.C., firm of Mundy Katowitz. It has also spent $121,792 with Seattle-based Moxie Media” on direct mail.
Additionally, the WCV is weighing in on behalf of its favorite “green”, Jay Inslee: “The WCV has become a force in Democratic politics, donating $150,000 to Our Washington — a Democratic front airing a nasty negative ad against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant — as well as making $10,000 donations to the Harry S Truman and Kennedy funds, dedicated to electing Democrats to the Legislature.
The tally is more than $700,000 spent since Labor Day on bigger and more liberal government – including the $305k worth of independent expenditures in the Lands Commissioner race, $150k to Our WA for Inslee attack ads, $120 to the corrupt Democrat mail firm Moxie Media (remember them from PDC violations gone by) $100k to the Democrat front group OurVotesCount, and $20k to the Democrats’ Senate and House candidates.
Evidently there is a lot of green to be made when you’re this “green.”
Leave a Reply