Politics

Whitmer shows gamesmanship in recall-based fundraising, to opponents' chagrin

July 29, 2021, 6:47 AM

The recall campaigns against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are disorganized and haphazard, struggling to gain even a tentative foothold; one has had five versions of petition language rejected by the state Board of Canvassers. 

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Gretchen Whitmer (File photo)

Nevertheless, the governor is pressing her advantage and using a loophole in state campaign finance law to stuff her pockets with an extra $3.4 million, to the chagrin of her opponents. Some are now claiming, nearly 40 years after the fact, that then-Secretary of State Richard Austin erred in putting the loophole in place, allowing candidates facing recalls to raise unlimited amounts of money.

In a paywalled story, The Detroit News reports

Three Michigan residents who've submitted petition language aimed at unseating Whitmer agreed Wednesday that the most successful recall campaign collected fewer than 100,000 signatures before halting its effort in December. To put a recall of the Democratic governor before voters, it would take more than 1 million valid signatures.

... The details of what's happened with petition efforts to recall Whitmer over the last year could be the focus of intense debate in the coming weeks as her opponents question the legality of her campaign accepting larger-than-normally-allowed contributions from donors in response to the recall efforts.

They certainly will. And the Michigan Freedom Fund, the DeVos-linked conservative group, has already filed a complaint with the Board of Elections, contending that since the efforts were so ineffectual, they didn't constitute an "active recall," required for the fundraising cap to be lifted. 

However, Democratic advocates claim that because some are still pressing their case, they do indeed fit the requirement. One, David Blair of Manistee, says that while he believes Whitmer is raising money unjustly, he still feels "morally obligated" to continue his efforts, and "believes he can hit the signature threshold," even as other Republicans are abandoning the fight. 

Related:

Whitmer Raises a Record $8.6 Million This Year for Second-Term Campaign, Thanks Partly to a Quirk, July 27


Read more:  The Detroit News


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