The Little PAC That Could…

…Run Bethany Hall-Long’s Campaign Without Anyone Knowing It.

Until now.

Once upon a time, there was a Little PAC.  It had a nice name. People For A Healthy Delaware.  The PAC was the dream of former President Pro-Tempore Patti Blevins, presumably because she wanted Delawareans to be healthy.  Or, perhaps it was a vanity project to give her something to do after that job as head of the State Office of Animal Welfare, a position that Bethany Hall-Long helped her to get, didn’t exactly work out as planned.  You will recall that Blevins had lost reelection to Anthony DelCollo back in 2016, and sure could have used that job–and got it.

This Little PAC, which started with $931.76 back in 2018, chugged along modestly, happy to just be a PAC.  Raised no money in 2019, just paid out bank transaction fees, leaving it with a balance of 898.76 by the end of 2019.  2020 came and went.  The Little PAC raised no money and, with bank charges, had a year-end balance of $739.76.  Still, it was blissfully happy.  In 2021, the PAC was blessed with a $1000 donation from one Suzanne Peck of Virginia.  She’s a dermatologist, and we all know that skin care is vital in ensuring a Healthy Delaware.  The Little PAC finished the year with over $1500 in its account.  Is this where the Little PAC began to believe it could?

In 2022, the Little PAC received another $1000 donation from Suzanne Peck; and two $6000 donations from ARS Treatment Centers in New Castle.  It received $4000 from one Nancy Sliver of Kennett Square (I suspect that it’s really Nancy Silver).  The proud Little PAC was now feeling its oats as it ended 2022 with a balance of over $14K.  The Little PAC was so happy that it paid out $5000 to one Madeline Cambell (I suspect that it’s Madeline Campbell as the Little PAC was a PAC after all, and couldn’t even spell its own name).  Kids, this is foreshadowing.  Remember that name, no matter how it’s spelled.

Then came 2023.  The year the Little PAC chugged along, gleefully saying to all who would listen, “I know I can, I know I can!”  The Little PAC received $75,000 in contributions.  The strangers who gifted the Little PAC with kindness and dollars included Kamel Erkan, to the tune of $22K; Fritz Jeudy, who ponied up $10K, Mid-Atlantic Health & Rehab, which has the same address as Nancy Silver, or Sliver above, and kicked in $6K; and, of course, the Committee To Elect Patricia Blevins, with $1200.  There were several others as well.

The Little PAC That Could was very content, and resided in PAC nirvana happily ever after.

The End.  Of The Beginning.

Time to get to the point (and I do have one) of the article.  We’ll start with Madeline Campbell (or Cambell), who is not the villain in the piece.  Near as I can tell, she’s a competent person who was simply doing her job.  Her job?  According to her LinkedIn profile, she was a member of the Finance Team To Elect Bethany Hall Long from December of 2022 to October of 2023.  According to BHL’s 2023 annual statement, Campbell was paid over $22K by BHL’s Lt. Governor campaign between March and the end of August;  was paid by BHL’s Governor’s campaign on Sept. 15, 2023 and over $1200 again on Sept. 29, 2023.   However, She was also paid at least five times by The Little PAC That Could, all the dates overlapping with the time she was working for, and getting paid by, BHL’s gubernatorial campaign.  One of the PAC checks issued on the very same day that she also received one of those $1200 checks from the BHL campaign.  That, of course, in addition to the $5 K she received from Healthy Delaware in 2022.

The story does not begin and end with Madeline Campbell, though.

When you compare the BHL 2023 Annual Statements for both her LG and Gubernatorial campaigns with the People For A Healthy Delaware Annual Statement, you will note that both have the following vendors in common (I’m not counting the obvious stuff like banks, Act Blue, or internet services):

CFO Companies LLC, Providence, RI.  This was where BHL got that treasurer who was not provided access to BHL’s bank records.  $3200 paid from BHL’s Lt. Governor campaign, $5471 from her Governor’s campaign, and $1800 paid from People For A Healthy Delaware.

Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock.  BHL’s law firm (at least, the out-of-state one).  $2087.50 paid by BHL’s  Lt. Governor campaign, $3562.50 from her Governor’s campaign, and   $1275 from Healthy Delaware.

This is in addition to the PAC that Mike Houghton has funded on his own, PAC302, and is paying to conduct polls on behalf of BHL. $60K of his own money, $15K already spent on behalf of Bethany through Global Strategies, which is the firm both John Carney and BHL use. Polls that she is using in order to try to raise money.  From her website:

New polling shows that we are in the lead… and when voters learn more about the candidates in this race, they’re with us! But half of voters are still undecided — we’ll need the resources to communicate with folks across state. Can you chip in today?

It sure looks to this untrained eye that elements of what should be the BHL campaign are being outsourced to PACs.  It also looks to this untrained eye that the PAC’s are working with her campaign, which I don’t think is legal.  Otherwise, how could Madeline Campbell who has self-identified as a member of BHL’s campaign finance team,  have been paid both by the campaign and the PAC?

I know that many of you out there are better versed on campaign law than I am.  I welcome your feedback.