[Bloomberg] It's been more than a month since the Nov. 4 election, but we're only just now finding out about some of the biggest campaign donations, including a previously undisclosed spending blitz by Democrats to try and elect Kansas independent Greg Orman.
| Perhaps that should be "independent"? |
Any political contributions to national party committees and super-PACs made on or after Oct. 16 didn't have to be disclosed until Thursday. The long delay between the late contributions and public disclosure creates an opportunity for mischief and a chance to move big money because super-PACs can raise funds in unlimited amounts to pay for ads independently supporting or attacking candidates.
Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic super-PAC run by former political advisers to Majority Leader Harry Reid, sent about $1.5 million to two super-PACs that promoted businessman Greg Orman, who was running as an independent and refused to identify with which party he would caucus. Orman was ultimately unsuccessful in his campaign to unseat Republican incumbent Pat Roberts.
Senate Majority PAC sent $1.31 million to Committee to Elect an Independent Senate in five installments beginning on (you guessed it) Oct. 16, the start of the veiled disclosure period. The Reid-aligned PAC also sent $151,000 on Nov. 3-4 to Kansans Support Problem Solvers, which also backed Orman.
Orman and Democratic groups kept each other at arm's length, at least publicly, in a state that has a generic Republican lean. Self-inflicted wounds by Roberts and his rusty campaign operation contributed to the senator's vulnerability. Roberts wound up winning by an unexpectedly large margin of 10 percentage points after overhauling his campaign team, sharpening his campaign message around opposition to President Barack Obama and Reid, and riding the Republican wave.
Committee to Elect an Independent Senate also received $1 million from Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg Politics parent company Bloomberg LP. |