The 2009 year-end GOP gubernatorial candidate reports: Fun, games and names

Some observations after combing through the 2009 Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board (CFB) reports of the top two GOP candidates, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) and Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall):

One. Seifert claims not to be accepting contributions from “registered lobbyists.” Seifert told me last fall that he is not directly soliciting contributions from lobbyists, staying technically true to his pledge of not taking lobbyist money for all his 13 years in the House.

But Seifert did go directly to the businesspeople and the trade associations who have long lobbied the Capitol (the “principals” of those lobbyists). That has ticked off the lobbyists who represent the principals, because Seifert has been publicly dissing lobbyists–who represent special interests–for his own political purposes while at the same time doing end-runs around the lobbyists and going directly to the interests they represent. Other pols besides Seifert have played this game for years, but this election it’s more grating to lobbyists because of the financial pressure from all the other candidates.

Not only is this grating to the lobbyists; it’s also just plain silly (or disingenuous at best) when Seifert’s claim is compared to his 2009 CFB report. There are no registered lobbyists on his donor list, but there are significant contributions from the political action committees (PACs) of major St. Paul lobbying firms, including Best & Flanagan, Dorsey & Whitney, Faegre & Benson, Goff & Howard, Lindquist & Vennum, Messerli & Kramer and Winthrop & Weinstine.

For those who don’t play this game, it’s worth noting that PAC contributions from lobbying firms don’t come in sua sponte over the transom; rather, they usually require numerous phone calls, particularly when there are so many candidates soliciting contributions from them. Seifert also accepted (and thus solicited) contributions from interest group PACs with long-held, clearly articulated legislative goals including the PACs of the Beer Wholesalers Association, the Automotive Retailers, the Minnesota Credit Union Network, the Minnesota Nurse Anesthetists, Great River Energy, the Associated Builders & Contractors, Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, the Minnesota Cable Communications Association and others.

You get the point. Seifert may not accept money from “registered lobbyists,” but he’s been actively — and successfully — soliciting contributions from the special interests they represent. Smoke and mirrors by semantics. One other fun note, Seifert does accept money from the spouses of registered lobbyists, like John Breitinger, who is married to contract lobbyist Jennifer Breitinger.

Two. No question Seifert has successfully captured the checkbooks of many of the significant, long-time and old guard GOP contributors including, Bob Cummins (Freedom Club founder), Dennis Doyle (Welsh Companies), Harris Duininck (Duininck Brothers Construction), David Frauenshuh, Vernon Heath, Stanley S. Hubbard, Robin Kelleher, former GOP Sen. Bob Kierlin, former Rep. Jim Knoblach (Seifert’s campaign manager), Bill Opsahl, Jerry Pappenfuss, Paul Rehkamp, Bob Senkler and Bruce Taher.

Three. Seifert has lots of donors from greater Minnesota.

On to Emmer.

One. Emmer draws more donations from the suburbs and exurbs, many of his contributors are employed by small to medium size employers. Many names I don’t recognize.

Two. Notable names on Emmer’s list are Barbara Hunn-Miesen (owner of Key’s Restaurants), Tom Mason, Patrick Murray (Murray’s Steak House) and Randy Sampson (Canterbury).

Three. Emmer’s also been after the lobbyist PAC crowd, although the 2009 report shows only the PAC of Lindquist & Vennum as a contributor. Emmer also shows contributions from several interest group PACs, including the Minnesota Hospital Association and the Minnesota Multi-Housing Association.

Four. Emmer and his wife, Jacqui Emmer, have personally made lots of in-kind contributions, which indicate a kind of “home-grown-ness” to his campaign. Some of the contributions are significant (like $4,475 for a phone system with 10 phones), while others are kitschy and fun, like $298 for an “embroidered” flag, $153.99 for a kitchen table, $29.90 for staples and $55.90 for paper clips.

Finally, we’ve written before that Emmer’s campaign has some of the best campaign office space in town, built out by the Vote YES legacy amendment campaign, which was the previous tenant of the space. That killer campaign office space at Midtown Commons costs the campaign a mere $1,200 a month.

2 Responses to “The 2009 year-end GOP gubernatorial candidate reports: Fun, games and names”

1. John Anderson Says:
   February 3rd, 2010 at 1:48 pm

   Great strategy on Team Emmer’s part: hide the terrible cash on hand numbers until too late so no one knows when they go into vote. Certainly, if people knew that their local state representative has more cash on hand than a state-wide candidate for Governor, they’d consider that gubernatorial candidacy a joke.

2. Tony Says:
   February 6th, 2010 at 11:17 am

   Marty Seifert’s campaign out spent Emmer almost 2 to 1, not to mention two January radio adds and multiple mailings. Yet Emmer’s team is only 10 points behind in the meaningless straw poll, actually closing the gap. Also John, Emmer outraised Marty Seifert in the month of December and I would guess in January too!… I think the tide is turning.