A cautionary tale for federal primary contenders, courtesy of Politico: “Eric Cantor’s stunning primary defeat is leaving his campaign in a financial bind…Under federal law, Cantor would also have to repay any funds meant for the general election spent during his unsuccessful primary campaign battle against fellow Republican Dave Brat. Since he lost and has no general election in November, Cantor would be required to return those general-election contributions to the donors.”
In federal elections, donors are allowed to give up to $5200 to a candidate: $2600 for the primary and $2600 for the general. GOP candidate Dan Sullivan has quite a few $5200 donations, but his are said to be segregated. Just in case he doesn’t win, let’s hope Treadwell’s $5200 donations are likewise segregated. BTW: State candidates aren’t going to have this problem. Alaska law doesn’t have the primary-general donation distinction. Donors can only give candidates $500 per calendar year.
With the state primary election just a little over a month away, followed by the general election in November, one could spend nearly every weeknight at someone’s fundraiser. And frankly, they aren’t the most exciting events ever. Yet, on Monday evening about 40 people turned out to support Dan Coffey’s candidacy for mayor and his election isn’t until April 2015. Tina Pidgeon and Tim Fitzpatrick hosted the event in their South Anchorage home off De Armoun. Some of the attendees included: Mark and Jean Hellenthal, Greg Chapados, Mark Kroloff, uber race car driver Paul Landes, and Rich Sayers from the Anchorage golf course. The haul was said to be about $12,500.
At the same time, another fundraiser, with about the same number of people, was held across town, at the Tastee Freez on Raspberry. This one though had a handful of sign wavers outside. The event was for Democratic House candidates Matt Claman and Marty McGee; Senate candidate Clare Ross; and gubernatorial candidate Byron Mallott. Inside, people slurped ice-cream, and Toni Mallott, Byron’s wife and his best surrogate, went from table to table talking and actually listened to the people there. Ross, who’s one of the hardest working candidates in the race, did the same. Are women simply better listeners?
Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner Leslie Houston was rumored to be retiring from state service. Instead, she took a position with DHSS as the director of public assistance.
Jon Bittner is going to be the new Deputy Commissioner of Commerce starting mid-month. He currently works at the Anchorage Economic Developmenmt Corporation.
Heard on the street: Rep. Mia Costello is rumored to have raised more than $40,000 since session for her state Senate campaign.
This Thursday, July 10, there will be a memorial for journalist Bob Tkacz in Juneau. Several members of his family are in town. A group will gather in the Capitol at 3 p.m. and at 6 p.m. at St. Anne’s parish hall, with food, tributes, music, and dancing.
Since the filing deadline for candidates, three have withdrawn from the election and one candidate was deemed ineligible. Senate District C GOP candidate Mike Miller dropped his primary challenge against Sen. Click Bishop. Wasilla Democrat Mikse Willoya-Marx dropped out of the race against GOP incumbent Mike Dunleavy. In House races, Robert Benton has withdrawn from his House District 20 bid to challenge Anchorage Rep. Les Gara and the Division of Elections has ruled House District 22 GOP candidate David Nees ineligible.
Happy birthday to lobbyist Kim Hutchinson, whose big day is July 9.
Fiscal hawk Brad Keithley made his first campaign contribution of the season to Anchorage House candidate Cean Stevens, who’s running as a Libertarian against Democrat Rep. Garran Tarr in District 19, which encompasses Mountain View and Airport Heights. Stevens, a landscaper and a former model, has committed to vote “against any future spending in excess of sustainable levels and for the immediate transfer of the remaining $11 billion in the state’s savings accounts into the Permanent Fund where it will be protected by the state constitution from further government raid,” she said. She’s also vowed that if she won, she wouldn’t join a caucus which “limits my ability to make those crucial votes.” If she wins, which is a big if in that Democratic district, the male dominated House leadership is likely to take a dim view of those vows. Say nothing of the fact that Stevens has a chainsaw, and she knows how to use it to cut things down to size.
The conservative “enfant terrible” blogger Charles C. Johnson who is tearing it up in Mississippi and who has worked on GOP Senate candidate Mead Treadwell’s campaign– who in fact stayed at his house and who just months later wrote the most inflammatory piece of the campaign–doesn’t want to be called a blogger:
@Amanda_Coyne I am not a blogger; I am an award winning journalist
— Charles C. Johnson (@ChuckCJohnson) July 8, 2014
Some responses:
@ChuckCJohnson @Amanda_Coyne High school participation awards don’t count as award winning. I’m an award winning Study Hall sitter. — charlene rosati (@damomacdc) July 8, 2014
@ChuckCJohnson @LOLGOP @Amanda_Coyne It’s like the Soy Bean Queen from the county fair demanding to be called ‘Your Highness.’
— Jim Nickens (@JimNickens) July 8, 2014
This is like informing people that you’re funny. RT @ChuckCJohnson: @Amanda_Coyne I am not a blogger; I am an award winning journalist — Neal (@Neal_Dewing) July 8, 2014
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
How do I r e a l l y know it’s you, Rebecca? Can we see your papers, please? This country was founded by a bunch of anonymous posters. Enough with the ID fetish: take a job with TSA.
From Amazon: “Charles C. Johnson is an independent writer. His work has appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The L.A. Times, City Journal, The New Criterion, Reason, Tablet Magazine, and The Claremont Review of Books, and he has been the recipient of both the Robert L. Bartley Fellowship and Eric Breindel Award at the WSJ, the Robert Novak Award at the Philips Foundation, and the Publius Fellowship at the Claremont Institute. He lives in the San Gabriel Valley with his fiancée and is presently writing a political biography of Barack Obama.”
The press release was nothing more that a simple statement that Mead attended the “conference” followed by a link to the full story. How is that a lie?
No – that is my point. I do think that bloggers often have information that is very good that the general public doesn’t have. There have been several times where a well-informed blogger provides information on an issue that I wasn’t aware of and cites a source – credible with a real name. Do you seriously think it is a good practice to publicly accuse people of horrible things, sometimes crimes, without providing any information to back up your accusations – anonymously?
Do you seriously think that someone makes an informed decision based upon what an anonymous blogger posts? Seriously?
With all due respect, I am not trying to “spin” the issue. I’ve included a link to the letter that Sullivan received from the FEC regarding inconsistencies in his reporting. He has several tens of thousands of dollars of inadequately marked contributions.
While he has adequately responded to the FEC claiming that most of the mistakes were due to programming issues, Amanda Coyne really should have done her research before conveying to her readers that his contributions are perfectly in order.
http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/947/14330052947/14330052947.pdf
John Smith – I don’t; my point is that people make horrible accusations without providing any back up to their claims and say horrible things about people – anonymously. How does that add to the discussion? For people who are seriously trying to make a decision about candidates – credible information is needed. Anonymity takes away the credibility.
Very funny derp!!
I susppect that of the 4 major senate candiidates, Treadwell, primarily because of his poor performance of raising funds may be most vulnerable to having spent his general election contributions. If memory serves, I believe he would have actually been in a deficit spending pattern if it weren’t for a personal loan that he made to his campaign. The primmary point here, I believe, is simply that caampaigns should take note and followw the FEC laws and regulations. The commenter that suggested Sullivan had an issue is either trying to spin a tale or doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I”m actualluy voting for Joe Miller; nonetheless, I think his comments are ludicrous because Sullivan has been raising enough money that he wouldn’t be tempted to do as Treadwell may have done. FYI- Joe doesn’t have a problem here. Why is it that Treadwell and his people are always slinging mud and associating with unscrupulous people? This isn’t being negative at all. Just factual. I hope everyone reading this will consider voting for Joe Miller.
The “pro Putin” rally he attended was a conference on Russian-American relations. Treadwell talking about how we can’t allow Russia and Putin to dominate arctic trade and continue to catch Alaskan salmon by the thousands. He is not “pro-Putin.” Sullivan’s press release was a shameful lie seeing as mead is the only candidate actually talking about these issues.
Do you not understand campaign election law? Donations are required to be segregated or the the FEC files an RFIA notice of audit.
Maybe you should try to actually research Dan Sullivan before you start assuming he had segregated his contributions. Especially since he had an RFIA filed against him in April for “forgetting” to separate his donors contributions.
Rebecca “Tea Party Queen” Logan – How do you tell members of the Alliance how the organization’s influence has deteriorated under your leadership? The organization was so much more respected under Paul and Karen’s leadership. The difference? They worked on behalf of the organization and didn’t put their own personal partisan interests first (as you do). Who cares what you think? You’re a nothing in the minds of everyone but yourself.
I find it a little creepy that you feel the need to know everyone’s identity.
As a cowardly, anonymous poster myself.. this is the only time I can remember agreeing with Rebecca Logan.
More cowardly comments by anonymous posters.
Sullivan resigned to run an honest and fully-focused campaign. He still trains Marines and will spend most of July doing so.
Miller needs a job to pay his last employer.
It;s nice being a Begich supporter.
I am supporting Dan Sullivan. Having said that, I have read through these and many other comments and I am displeased with the tone in many of them. I am not sure Mead is the nicest person in the world and his demeanor and staffing choices raise questions for me, but I promise you I would support him should he win the primary. I hope that the rest of those on the Republican side will act the same way once this primary is over. We must defeat Mark Begich.
at least he’s still employed, full time. I don’t think Miller or Sullivan can claim that. No a “news site” doesn’t count as employment Joe, and one trip a month to a newly formed and largely redundant 6th ANGLICO (there are SIX of them) doesn’t count either.
Ohhhh Burn! Wait, who are we talking about?
Oh and that Johnson guy. Met him while he was up here. Poor thing, he was afraid of mosquitoes. He knew he was out of his league, when a couple of them landed on the guy standing next to him.
I loath deadbeat dad politicians.
I support Mead Treadwell. Politics isn’t a pretty sport to watch. Its time for some of you to grow up and quit moaning. Life can be tough. #leadwithmead.
Thanks for the recent posts about Charles Johnson and his relationship with Mead Treadwell. The more I learn aboit Mr. Treadwell, the more respect and admiration I have for those individuals who have left their positions iin both his government and campaign offiices. It begs the questiion: who would want to work for this person? Or as one of his campaign staffers was over heard saying “at least he’s not a drunk”
Congratulations to my friend Jon Bittner on his new job. He’ll be a great addition to the department.
Good luck to Cean Stevens. We need more independents in the Legislature who will refuse to join a permanent standing caucus.
The State simply cannot afford current spending yet our legislators and Governor refuse to acknowledge neither that fact nor the fact that our oil reserves are in decline and what oil remains is more difficult and expensive to develop. Ask these current “leaders”, who support the status quo, what price of oil would be necessary at today’s production levels to sustain current levels of spending (let alone pay back the CBR (Constitutional Budget Reserve) and/or the SBR (Statutory Budget Reserve)?
We now simply cannot instantly stop deficit spending without crashing the economy. That said,I would suggest that we demand our legislators now place a dollar into the Permanent Fund for every dollar spent from our cash reserves in the CBR or the SBR.
Why is anyone surprised that Mead would associate with such lowlifes? It is par for the course. The man has no moral compass. He travels all across the country on the state’s dime fundraising, he attends anti-Semitic conferences with whack jobs cheerleading Putin, he constantly inflates his record, and he hasn’t accomplished anything real in years – all the man does is give speeches and attends conferences.
CharlesC > FBIII, makes sense.
This election looks like it’s getting fun.
Charles Johnson appears to be in “need” of recognition he feels that he deserves. Realizing this, I think we should grant him the Alaska Award for Being The Biggest Purveyor of Fraud in the 2014 Election Cycle. That’s a real and honorific award that this clown might actually be proud of.
With friends like this, don’t you think its just a little scarey that Treadwell is entrusted to oversee the Division of Elections?
Mead’s friend the “enfant terrible” is a whack job extrordinaire. What the heck is Mead doing associating with a sleaze ball of this magnitude? I think the Lite Governor has some explaining to do.