The Michigan Campaign Finance Network has released the “2006 Citizen’s Guide to Michigan Campaign Finance.” According to the guide, political campaigns in Michigan raised and spent more than $192 million in the 2006 election cycle. According to a press release:
Campaigns for state offices, including governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state representative, state senator, state board of education, elected university boards and the judiciary, totaled $134.8 million. State candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives raised $19.3 million and the Stabenow-Bouchard U.S. Senate race cost $19.1 million. Committees that supported or opposed the various ballot questions raised another $19.4 million.
The gubernatorial campaign totaled $78.9 million, more than twice the cost of the 2002 gubernatorial campaign. It included $35.5 million in self-funding by Republican challenger Dick DeVos, the fourth highest total ever for an American gubernatorial candidate and the most ever by a Republican. The campaign also featured $18.1 million in candidate-focused issue advertising that was not reported in any campaign finance report. The Michigan Democratic Party sponsored $12.8 million of that total, while DeVos supporters spent $5.3 million.
General election candidates for the Michigan Senate raised $16.1 million in the 2006 cycle, up by 39 percent compared to 2002, and four races cost more than $1.95 million each. General election candidates for the Michigan House raised $15.1 million, up by 52 percent compared to 2002, and four races topped $1 million each. Of the 148 winning candidates for the Legislature, 139 had greater financial support than their opponent, or no major-party opponent.
The top 150 state political action committees raised $51.9 million in the 2006 cycle, up by 55 percent compared to the 2002 or 2004 cycles. The ten largest PACs, including the legislative caucuses’ PACs, raised $26.5 million, more than the next 140 combined. Elected officials had 92 leadership PACs that collectively raised $8.3 million. The Coalition for Progress became the biggest PAC in Michigan history by raising $5,460,000. Jon Stryker of Kalamazoo and Pat Stryker of Colorado Springs gave Coalition for Progress 98 percent of its funds.
The complete guide includes summaries of candidates’ finances, lists of top contributors to electoral winners, and lists of top contributors to the legislative caucuses’ PACS, politicians’ leadership PACs, and state party committees.
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