A Casual Meander Thru The 30-Day Campaign Finance Reports
Not all of the reports have been processed (or delivered) yet. But there’s more than enough for all you political junkies out there.
Let’s meander, shall we?
1. Neither KMG’s nor Lydia York’s reports have been put up on the Elections site yet.
2. 14th SD Reports: This is the five-way primary to succeed Bruce Ennis. Michael ‘Tater’ Hill-Shaner has raised and spent about $9600, leaving $62.44 in his account. Kevin Musto raised $14,526 and has about $6200 cash-on-hand. Robert Sebastiano raised about $1800, lent his campaign $7500, and spent virtually all of it. No reports yet from Kyra Hoffner or Sam Noel.
3. SD 16 Rethug Three-Way. Yep, the rumors are true: Monsignor Greg Lavelle has literally doubled down for the Pistol-Packing Mama. $600 from ‘Gregory Lavelle’ and $600 from ‘Citizens For Lavelle’. Whatever happened to this guy? Anyway, Kim Petters raised $8400, $7200 of which was not from Delaware’s Protector Of Pedophile Priests, and spent $4824. Eric Buckson raised $24,418, and spent over $19,000. That’s a healthy financial statement right there. Colin Bonini started out with over $42K, raised another $13 K, and spent almost $13K. BTW, one of Bonini’s contributors was Rebecca Byrd, who is a member of the 6th RD Democratic Committee. Isn’t that against Party rules? Or do lobbyists get dispensation from those rules?
4. James Taylor raised $2800, lent his campaign $5400, and spent $7443, leaving $747 in his account. Stephanie Bolden’s report has not yet been filed in this race for RD 2. Can’t wait to see how many Buccinis it takes to buy an election.
5. That’s some sneaky shit that Deb Heffernan tried to pull. Did Speaker Pete lend her his former treasurer to carry out this scheme? Too bad that Nancy Willing knew that the scheme was illegal. The story for the uninitiated: Heffernan held a big bucks fundraiser on August 11 at the Hotel DuPont. Although the filing deadline for the 30-day was yesterday, Heffernan filed her report last Friday, and it did not include contributions that Deb raked in at the fundraiser. That’s against elections law, which requires that all contributions received prior to the deadline must be accounted for in the report. Meaning, assuming that Deb doesn’t give Elections the finger, we will have both her original report and her amended report. Gee, I wonder whether any lobbyists will be on that amended report…
6. Isn’t the campaign limit on state legislative races supposed to be $600? If so, then the Plumbers Union Local 690 Election Political Action Fund in Philly is due a $400 refund from Martin Willis‘ campaign as they sent him/it $1000. Anyway, he raised close to $10K ($1200 in loans) and spent about $9500 of it. His opponent in the 18th RD primary, Sophie Phillips, raised about $13 K and has spent about $7K. Her contributor list is a who’s-who of some of my favorite Delaware progressives.
7. Pretty much the entire breadth and range of the Democratic Party has contributed to Cyndie Romer’s campaign. $25K raised, over $11 K spent. Her opponent, Ed Klima, raised $6609, $1264 of which was in loans. Game over. Romer is the next representative in RD 25. I’m at least a tad worried that some of her contributors are Delaware lobbyists. Like ‘Democrat’ Rhett Ruggerio. Delaware Way lobbyists don’t make contributions, they make investments.
8. Eric Morrison is a machine. Started the year with $48K in the bank, raised $15K, spent over $20K. Has $42K left. I’m feeling good about this race.
9. Kerri Harris just might win in the 32nd RD after all. She’s raised almost $28 K, and has almost $14K in her account. Again, her contributor list is a who’s who of some of my fave D’s. Reverend Lamont Pierce had raised about $2K, almost all of it from himself, and spent about $900. Awaiting reports from the other two candidates.
10. Brandon Toole raised/loaned his campaign a total of $15,606 and has a balance of over $5K. His opponent in the County Council District 1 race raised $10K, $6K from himself and $1200 from Ken Woods and his campaign.
OK, my eyes have glazed over. I’ll unglaze them and keep at least one eye out for new reports as they are uploaded.
Yeoman’s work here. Extra h/t to Nancy for uncovering that sneaky bit of sneakiness Debhef tried to pull.
BTW the pictures from that fundraiser looked depressing as fuck.
Where are they? You holding out on me??
I think I saw them on Facebook. If the Hotel DuPont has a smaller room it is used to store mops.
Oops, my speculation on Stephanie Bolden and the Buccinis is at least partially asked AND answered:
‘Can’t wait to see how many Buccinis it takes to buy an election.’
Turns out that Chris, Elizabeth and Maria Buccini ALL maxed out in 2021. As did Mayor Mike’s Riverfront Dastardly Duo of Brian and Megan McGlinchey.
No wonder Bolden couldn’t care less about her constituents. None of her contributors do.
Money is important, for sure, but the way we can ensure that Kerri wins is by getting folks to canvass.
Come help here in Dover: https://www.mobilize.us/kerrifordelaware/event/488150/
If you live anywhere in or around Dover, Kerri’s campaign is key to getting new leadership in the House. So do what Grant says…or come from further away.
Martin Willis got all his Labor money out of state from some interesting locals.
one of them Roofers Local 30 has a storied and violent history
Here is a little video:
(1799) Episode 099: Bill Grace – “Wolf Ticket,” Roofers Union Local 30 Labor Racketeering Case – YouTube
Ok, we’re going to sit here and wait for Heffernan to not do anything ethical or legal and when she doesn’t we’ll wait for the dept of elections to have a backbone and do something about it. Holding breath in 3…2…1…
I alerted Matt Meyer in 2020 about his flawed campaign reports by way of blogging about them and his team pretty much immediately sent the amended reports along.
http://delawareway.blogspot.com/2020/08/matt-meyer-violates-campaign-finance.html
Heffernan will have to provide the amended report because the Dept. will insist on it if we don’t see something soon and complain directly to the Commissioner.
Willis will also be required to send illegal contributions back and show that on amended reports.
We’ve got ourselves a Bizarro World entry from Jack Bucchioni. He filed BOTH his 30-day report AND his 8-day report. The 30-day report shows that he started the year with over $7300, collected 9,300, $6525 of which was in the form of loans to himself, spent about $11K, and has $9834 on hand.
For some reason, probably just a mistake, he also filed his eight-day report, which shows no new contributions and no new expenditures. Maybe he’s just giving up?
Buehler, Buehler?
BTW, Sussex County Chair Jane Hovington has donated $180 to Bucchioni this year. We’ll see if she’s done something similar for Huxtable.
Larry Mitchell started the cycle off with $24 K in the bank, raised an additional $19.5K, and spent about $18K. Leaving him with about $26K cash-on-hand.
McGuiness has reported. Interestingly of the very few contributors since the conviction one appears to be a Coons staffer.
Her money is drying up. Many monthly donors from the previous year are not donating.
Speaker Pete ante’d up another $1200. Funding her and running interference for her.
Classy.
She started with $61K, raised an additional $24 K this year (not much for a statewide race), and spent $14K.
Looks like she’s trying to buy the Black vote. $500 to Darius Brown, $500 to Stephanie Bolden. Uh, that’s not the way to buy the Black vote, just a way to buy two corrupt politicians. Also sent $600 to the guy running against Eric Morrison.
She will put a lot of street money out through the usual election day hustlers.
Agreed but me thinks it won’t be enough:)
“Also sent $600 to the guy running against Eric Morrison.”
Sheesh. Tell me you don’t understand how money works without saying that you don’t understand how money works.
Right. Functioning as a surrogate contributor for Speaker Pete so that Speaker Pete doesn’t get caught funding a caucus member’s challenger.
A challenger who is, wait for it, an ex-cop at that.
Are you sure? I don’t see Pete on Mike Hertzfeld’s report?
I was referring to Jim Paoli, Coons’ chief of staff, who has donated to KMG, the Chamber candidate against Kerri Harris, and to the opponents to both Madinah Wilson-Anton and Eric Morrison.
Speaker Pete doesn’t dare get caught doing that.
Kyra Hoffner’s report is up. It’s–OK. Started the cycle with $8K, raised $11K, including a $1K loan, spent $11,700, has $8251 remaining. She definitely has a shot. Nobody is setting the world on fire in the 14th SD.
Nnamdi’s report is up. He’s raised a lot of money and–hasn’t spent much of it. All the bigwigs have pitched in, and we’re talking post-Shane’s entry into the race. Carper, Purzycki, Schwartzkopf, Longhurst, Louie Capano, Darius (!), Bullock, Polidori, Stormin’ Norman.
They all might want to know that Nnamdi had raised over $50K and had spent, wait for it, less than $6000. Not. Smart.
all the money in the world won’t wash the stink of being bought of the Rep from RD1!
DeShanna Neal has raised $16K and spent $6200.
OK for a first-timer, but she could use more. Money and boots on the ground are needed here as she’s got a great chance to win, but hasn’t peaked yet.
Whoa. Huxtable kicks ass! Wow what a report! Raised over $34 K PLUS lent campaign over $7K. Only spent about $7500, needs to pick that up a little. A bleep-ton of individual contributors. No corporate PAC $$’s. No wonder Bucchioni already mailed in his eight-day. He’s done. SD 6 looks like a great possibility to flip D this year.
BTW, Jane Hovington did NOT donate to Huxtable. She’s a loser and has to go.
Hey Coons!!!!! a top staffer in your office, Jim Paoli is a reported contributor to KMG AND Eric Morrison’s opponent! Care to comment?
Breaking!!!! Hey Chris, your boy dropped cash on Madinah’s opponent as well hitting the trifecta of horrible choices!
Coons apparently pursed his lips at the lack of bipartisan decorum exhibited by the two first-termers. Didn’t have to say anything to his loyal staffer.
Paoli is a union guy, isn’t he?
Jim Paoli
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) (Sept. 2011-), State Directo
This might be the son of the Jim Paoli I’m thinking of. The guy I’m thinking of was NNCo Democratic Party chair.
http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/4-08demconvention.asp
That’s this guy. His dad was a union electrician. Nello Paoli.
Red flags in the 14th. Basically whoever wins is going to start bankrupt in the general.
Not necessarily. Assuming the candidates have been campaigning (I don’t know which ones have been active), they’ve had the field all to themselves over the past few months.
Plus, those in primaries can effectively get max contributions twice, one for the primary and one for the general.
Plus, the numbers don’t bode well for the Rethugs down there.
Plus, I think that every member of the D Senate Caucus will max out once a candidate emerges.
Good initial report for Lydia York. $47K in contributions, plus another $15K in loans and in-kind. Spent about $27K.
She’s definitely on-target. It’s up to us now.
I would like to see her put out some video – couldn’t find much online that helps us get to know her better.
I would like to see any semblance of a campaign or any message aside from fundraising appeals. I’m losing hope by the day.
Being in Sussex you may be overweighting the convicted auditor’s popularity. But yeah, it would be nice to see some campaigning.
I saw several yard signs for Park City out in Hockessin. Nothing for York. Yeah, signs don’t vote, but for someone with no name recognition they’re vital.
If she doesn’t up her game pronto, York is going to lose.
The yard signs by your neighborhood are at the home of Tori Parker. Republican turned Democrat, but always Opportunist. Reality check. McGinness is going to win. Carney can just boot her from office twice now once the judge comes back. Let’s take odds on which politician Tori Parker works for next.
Sam Noel (14th SD) raised $20K and spent $13K. Looks like the unions are backing him pretty strongly.
Just a question: Remember when Darius Brown was crying poor-mouth? Sold out to Waste Management? Now he’s tossing around $600 contributions like they’re chump change.
Can’t wait to see where those $$’s have come from. As if I couldn’t guess.
VERY healthy report from Becca Cotto. Remember when I said she’d never outspend Deb Heffernan? She probably won’t, but she could as long as Deb sits on that $75K war chest. Cotto started out the year with about $17K in her account, raised another $16K, and has spent $16,683. She goes into the homestretch with close to $16K in reserve to fully execute her plan.
Kelly Williams Maresca’s report says a lot about the malignant forces in Delaware politics.
Jim Paoli, Chris Coons’ Chief-of-Staff, donated $250 to a RWNJ-turned-Democrat. I’d love to hear his explanation as to why.
Two of Delaware’s worst developers/landlords, Jerome Heisler and Robert Tunnell, maxed out, as did Tunnell’s wife.
I also count 4 LLC’s amongst the contributors.
She had close to $19K in revenue, $2500 of which is from a loan, spent $7664, and has about $12K remaining.
Seriously, can somebody/anybody tell me what’s wrong with this Jim Paoli character? Besides working for Coons, I mean.
Not to worry, though. Madinah Wilson-Anton’s report is stellar. Started the year with over $40K, raised another $28K, spent $36K, and has about $32K remaining.
Notable by their absence as contributors: Pete ‘n Our PAL Val.
Shane Darby’s report shows she raised about $13,400 and spent $9650.
Sure, she’ll need to raise more. But, inexplicably, she has spent more than Nnamdi, who was and apparently is still sitting on $50K.
So, we’re pretty much still waiting on Bolden and Phil McGinnis. Oh, and Deb’s updated report.
Phil McGinnis raised a shitload of money. He’s the anointed candidate for Mayor Mike, as both Brian and Megan McGlinchey maxed out.
When both Quinn Johnson and ‘Pope’ Gregory Lavelle agree on a candidate, you can bet that he doesn’t have the people’s interests at heart. This is your Chamber guy. And, yep, there’s that James Paoli again. Maxed out.
Raised over $48K, lent the campaign another $13K, and spent $21K, leaving him about $41 thou for the homestretch.
Scared by that number? Use that fear to fuel your action.
Donate to Kerri: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/friends-of-kerri-evelyn-harris
Sign up to phone bank and text bank: https://www.kerrifordelaware.com/volunteer
Come doorknock: https://www.mobilize.us/kerrifordelaware/event/488150/
Big funding from the corporate elite can be overcome, but we have to fight.
Philly boy has the ex-state Republican Chair Mike Harrington and a nice array of other Republicans on his list GEEZ
Phil McGinnis has almost every lobbyist in Dover as a donor, and more developers and realtors than I have ever seen on a Delaware campaign finance report. Have you seen who HE donates to? Check his FEC donations. Lots of donations to republicans as well as both Manchin and Sinema. That says it all. This guy is bought and paid for, and not by the people of his district.
Thanks! I need to check that out.
There’s no doubt that he’s the Rethugs’ favorite Democrat this cycle.
Bill Bush Part Deux?
No thank you. Help Kerri, everybody!
Where is Lydia York’s campaign? It’s like non existent. I’m a prime Dem, no mailing, not a call, not a canvasser. Heck havent even seen a sign. What are they doing?!!!
Datroll.
No, I have the same questions.
Newman’s story is about York’s money. Where is the damn campaign?
What up, Woodside?
See the figures: Challenger raising twice as much as incumbent auditor
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/18/lydia-york-has-raised-money-kathy-mcginess-in-state-auditor-race/65404369007/?
Thanks for the link. How can anyone read this and think the campaign is dogging it?
You’ve got to do something with the money. Dollars don’t vote.
She’s spent on consultants, fundraisers, signs, and some web stuff.
There is little to no activity on social media, her website is half-finished, and I haven’t seen of any mailings or gotten any calls. There are 26 days until the election. The message seems to be “I will restore integrity” without calling out her corrupt opponent.
Unless she is running a brilliant behind-the-scenes campaign targeting only Dems in districts where there’s a local primary, whoever is in charge of the campaign should be fired.
Hell, even McG does regular social posts about her door-to-door to give the impression of energy.
I can’t tell if York wants the job or not. She certainly doesn’t seem like she wants to dirty her hands in the messy game of politics.
Agree and disagree. You’ve got a late entrant starting from scratch outraising the incumbent 2 to 1.
Yes, we need to start to see tangible results. But you need to pay for stuff before you can do stuff. Now they can do stuff.
I just posted about this but it disappeared.
My email to Albence today – waiting to see what he says.
Dear Commissioner Albence,
I had contacted the Dept. the other day and staffer Patrick Jackson concurred with my assessment that the Heffernan campaign was in potential violation of campaign finance law in not reporting monies collected on August 11th. As we discussed, I don’t know for a fact if monies were collected at their Hotel DuPont fundraiser August 11th but one can assume it with some amount of confidence.
That monies were likely collected means the campaign must likely submit an amended report. Their 30 Day report of August 12th was submitted the day after that major fundraising event but included zero funds from that event.
The reports were due midnight August 14th. Any funds collected at the August 11th must be disclosed to the public.
Please help seek compliance of the law under your purview by communicating this potential error with the Heffernan campaign Treasurer. It is easily corrected by an amended report. I sent a direct message to their campaign Facebook page after talking to your staff but got no response. You should be able to get their attention.
Thanks
Nancy Willing
I also left a second DM to the campaign noting my disappointment that they have not responded to my earlier questions.
WAKE UP DEB. This isn’t going away.
Just curious any update? I’m a little late to this party been busy campaigning.
Let me check…uh, no.
You can’t expect her campaign to update her report while they’re busy knocking down her opponent’s signs, now can you?
I will post any replies and get on the phone on Monday if there’s still no amended report posted.
Whoa. Stephanie Bolden, who traditionally has raised maybe a couple thou for her non-campaigns, raised over $30K to add to her initial $14K. You wouldn’t believe (OK, you WOULD) all the development interests who anted up.
I was reviled by a certain someone on here for pointing out that a progressive ‘hero’ was part of the Holloway clan. Well, HE contributed as well. Darius Brown also tossed in $600. Man, where did he get all that money?
In typical Bolden fashion, she spent, wait for it, $375. $325 of which went to Walt’s Chicken.
Meaning, she actually could lose. And find some way to pocket some of those $$’s. I’m telling you, you can’t trust anybody from that family, especially when a pot of money is involved.
If “a progressive ‘hero’” is who I think it’s a reference to, he and STB are family. It’s gotta be tough to not contribute, especially if directly asked.
No. I’ve heard this ‘he supports so and so because he HAS to’ for, not years, but decades. Nobody HAS to wave the flag for a Delaware Way politico.
In this case, he, of course, didn’t have to give to ANYONE. I was agnostic at best about his genuine commitment to progressivism. He’s done nothing to allay my concerns. I mean, Herman The Lesser gave him a job. I’ll believe he’s not just another grifter with a megaphone when he gives me reason to believe it.
With the effort by the dem establishment to support Heffernan, there must be a poll and it’s a very close race. Go Becca!
Whether there’s a poll or not, Deb is in serious trouble. Matt Meyer has forfeited any trust that I had in him. Again, he didn’t HAVE to go to the wall for this Best Friend Of Polluters. But he did.
Maybe someone, you know, good will run for governor.
Totally agree. And yes, I hope someone good will run for governor.
While KM may seem to be done, she could be a contender sadly.
I agree as well. Nancy’s been against him for years, but this pretty much nails him as a Delaware Way Dem.
It is shame. I had a lot of benefit of the doubt with regard to Meyer. Oh well. Next.
STILL no campaign finance report for LaVaughn McCutchen in RD 32. Can he be removed from the ballot?
Albence got the Haffernan campaign to admit they need an amended 30 day report so keep an eye out.
Albence, Anthony J (Elect_COE)
To:
Nancy Willing
Fri, Aug 19 at 10:01 AM
Ms. Willing—
Thank you for your message. Following you initial contact with Patrick Jackson of our staff on this issue, I contacted the Heffernan campaign regarding the concern raised. The campaign is aware of the issue and indicated that they plan to file an amended 30-Day Primary Report to reflect funds raised and funds expended for the August 11th fundraiser. They plan to do this next week then the campaign treasurer returns from a vacation. Please note that the Department has made no assessment or determination, preliminary or otherwise, of any potential violation of any campaign finance law.
Best regards,
Anthony Albence
State Election Commissioner
Delaware Department of Elections