ACTIVITIES INSIDE EDITION FOLLOWING LOCAL 4 NEWS FIRST AT FOUR MONDAY. FIRST THING I WAS
TOLD WHEN I STARTED COVERING
POLITICS YEARS AGO WAS FOLLOW
THE MONEY. IT WAS TRUE, THEN
IT’S JUST AS TRUE TODAY, IF NOT
MORE, SO. LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
WITH A GUY WHO IS CURRENTLY THE
SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER AT M
LIVE, BUT SIMON SCHUSTER WAS THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
MICHIGAN CAMPAIGN FINANCE
NETWORK, WHICH IS A NONPARTISAN
GROUP DEDICATED TO DOING JUST
THAT, FOLLOWING THE MONEY IN
MICHIGAN POLITICS. HE DID THAT
TO LAST MONTH, AND NOW HE IS
WITH HIM LIVE, SIMON. GOOD TO
HAVE YOU HERE? I I’D LOVE TO SAY
THAT THINGS LOOK DIFFERENT THIS
YEAR BECAUSE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
SO MUCH MONEY IN COMING IN FROM
WEIRD PLACES. THE CHAIRS
CHANGED, BUT THE GAME STAYS THE
SAME, DOESN’T IT? OH, VERY MUCH
, SO. I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT
2018, THAT WAS THE MOST
EXPENSIVE YEAR IN, UH, EXCUSE
ME, THE MOST EXPENSIVE ELECTION
IN MICHIGAN’S HISTORY IN 2020.
THE FOLLOWING ELECTION ALSO TOOK
THAT TITLE, SO WE’RE ON PACE. I
THINK FOR RECORD SPENDING THAT’S
ONLY A SHORT TIME AWAY. AND I
THINK WE’VE ALREADY SEEN THAT IN
THIS PRIMARY SEASON. YEAH, IT
WASN’T THAT LONG AGO. I COULDN’T
BELIEVE THAT KIND OF MONEY THAT
WAS BEING SPENT. SAY YEAH, ON A
U. S SENATE RACE 10 YEARS AGO
NOW YOU CAN’T EVEN GET TO THE
TABLE WITH THAT KIND OF THE JUST
THE ANTI GOES UP EVERY YEAR. BUT
GIVE ME AN IDEA. OF AWARE YOUR
EYE GOES WHEN YOU START LOOKING
AT THESE. THE FINANCE REPORTS
THAT COME IN THE BALANCE SHEETS
WERE WHAT’S DRAWING YOUR
ATTENTION THIS YEAR IS KIND OF
EYE POPPING. YEAH, WELL, I THINK
THAT OBVIOUSLY, THE HEADLINE
HERE IS THE SORT OF JUGGERNAUT
FUNDRAISING OPERATION THAT
GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER HAS
MANAGED TO PUT TOGETHER SO FAR
IN THIS ELECTION CYCLE. SINCE
SHE WAS ELECTED IN A 2019. SHE
HAS RAISED ALMOST $30 MILLION,
AND THAT’S THAT SHE’S SITTING
WITH ALMOST $15 MILLION CASH ON
HAND. SHE’S A FORMIDABLE
OPPONENT TO WHOEVER COMES OUT OF
THIS REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL
PRIMARY. IT’S INTERESTING
BECAUSE THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH
CRITICISM THAT SHE RAISED A LOT
OF MONEY BACK WHEN THERE WAS
SUPPOSEDLY A RECALL EFFORT
AGAINST HER, WHICH ALLOWED HER
TO GO BEYOND THE LIMITS. BUT
THAT’S NOT INCLUDED IN THIS. SHE
HAD TO GIVE THAT AWAY, RIGHT?
RIGHT SO IF YOU TAKE AWAY THE
$3.5 MILLION THAT SHE SENDS
TRANSFERRED TO THE MICHIGAN
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, SHE’S STILL
RAISED OVER 26 MILLION, AND SO
THAT’S STILL SORT OF AN EYE
POPPING NUMBER. IF YOU LOOK AT
THE 2018 GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION
, IT COSTS AND TOTAL ABOUT A
LITTLE OVER $93 MILLION, SO I
THINK WE’RE WELL ON THE WAY TO
SEEING THAT. COME IN. I THINK
WITH THE VARIABLE HERE IS HOW
MUCH OUTSIDE SPENDING IS GOING
TO COME IN. THAT’S REALLY SORT
OF WHERE WE SEE THESE NUMBERS
GROW EXPONENTIALLY AS WE
APPROACH THE GENERAL, AND IT’S
FUNNY BECAUSE IT ALWAYS TURNS
INTO A WHOEVER IS BEING OUTSIDE.
SPENT TURNS IT INTO A TALKING
POINT, BUT OF COURSE IT’S
WHOEVER IS ON THE IS ON THE LINE
THAT THE CHECK IS COMING IN. OF
COURSE, THE IS LESS AGGRIEVED.
LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
PRO ISRAEL MONEY. THIS IS
FASCINATING TO IT’S BEING SPENT
A LOT AGAINST SRI TEMODAR IN THE
13TH, BUT THERE’S A REALLY WEIRD
HEADLINE WHEN YOU SEE PRO ISRAEL
MONEY BEING SPENT AGAINST JEWISH
CANDIDATE, WHICH IS WHAT WE’RE
SEEING IN THE 11TH AGAINST AND
11. RIGHT AND SO, UH, I THINK
THAT’S A REALLY INTERESTING
DYNAMIC. UH I WOULD SAY THAT
APEC BASED UPON THE NUMBERS THAT
I’VE SEEN OR RATHER, THIS
AFFILIATED SUPER PAC THAT THEY
CONTROL, CALLED THE UNITED
DEMOCRACY PROJECT HAS BECOME THE
SINGLE LARGEST SPENDER IN THESE
CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARIES,
OUTPACING ANY CAMPAIGN AND SO
THE MILLIONS THAT THEY’VE
DROPPED TO BOTH THE 11TH AND THE
13TH UNDENIABLE HAS AN EFFECT ON
THESE ELECTIONS. I MEAN, IT’S A
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IS SIMPLY A
KIND OF UNPRECEDENTED, AND SO IT
IS INTERESTING TO SEE YOU KNOW,
A MEMBER OF ONE OF THE MOST
PROMINENT JEWISH POLITICAL
FAMILIES OF THE UNITED STATES,
RIGHT SORT OF IN THEIR
CROSSHAIRS FOR HIS CRITICISM OF
ISRAEL’S POLICIES IN THE PAST,
BUT WHAT’S FASCINATING TO ME, OF
COURSE, IS THAT THESE ADS IN THE
MILLIONS THEY SPENT TO RUN THEM,
ACTUALLY, DON’T ADDRESS THAT
CORE ISSUE THAT THIS GROUP CARES
SO MUCH ABOUT. INSTEAD IT’S JUST
SORT OF VAGUE PROMOTIONS OF THE
CANDIDATES THAT ARE OPPOSING
INDIVIDUALS. THEY JUST LIKE
ALWAYS. IT IS SO HARD TO GET TO
THE BOTTOM, AND WHEN WE SEE THE
TAG LINE OR WRITTEN SOMEWHERE IN
VERY FAINT TYPE ON THESE ADS OF
WHERE THE AD IS COMING FROM, BUT
IT’S VERY OPAQUE. IT’S REALLY
HARD FOR US SINCE CITIZENS
UNITED CAME ALONG FOR US TO
REALLY GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
WHO’S BEHIND THE MONEY AND WHERE
IT’S COMING FROM. RIGHT. I THINK
THAT’S CERTAINLY CORRECT. AND I
THINK AN INTERESTING WAY THAT
THIS IS PLAYING OUT TO ACROSS
THE STATE IS IN OUR LEGISLATIVE
RACES. WE HAVE PRIMARIES THAT
ARE REALLY SHOWING THE STAYING
POWER AND THE ENDORSEMENT POWER
OF OUR FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP, YOU SEE ORGANIZATIONS
SUCH AS MICHIGAN FREEDOM NETWORK
AND THE GREAT LAKES EDUCATION
PROJECT, SENDING OUT MAIL. THAT
IS PERHAPS EITHER SUPPORTING
PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT GOING AFTER
OR OPPOSING CANDIDATES WHO HAVE
RECEIVED ENDORSEMENT OF THE
FORMER PRESIDENT. AND SO YOU
KNOW, WE JUST HAD A NEWSBREAK
ABOUT BETH. THE DEVICE, SENDING
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT, SAYING
THAT SHE WANTS TO UNITE THE
PARTY. BUT IT’S CLEAR THAT THEY
ARE SORT OF DOING WHAT THEY CAN
TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THE
PARTY. WELL IN FACT, YES,
BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT ALSO
RECEIVED A LETTER FROM A LOT OF
THE CANDIDATES HE’S ALREADY
ENDORSED, URGING HIM NOT TO
SADDLE UP WITH THE DIVORCES. I’M
REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR
THOUGHTS ON THE MONEY THAT’S
BEING SPENT IN THE 13TH
DISTRICT. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY ONE
THAT IN DETROIT IS BEING WATCHED
VERY CLOSELY. IT’S A NEWLY DRAWN
DISTRICT. IT’S NINE CANDIDATES
SOME TERRIFIC, VERY SHARP PEOPLE
IN THIS RACE BUT ALSO REALLY
KIND OF HARD TO MISS THE WALLET
THAT ONE OF THE THESE CANDIDATES
HAS AND THAT STREET 10 ADAR
RIGHT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT HE
FIRST KIND OF JUMPED ONTO
MICHIGAN’S POLITICAL STAGE WITH
HIS 2018 GUBERNATORIAL RUN,
WHERE HE SPENT AN ENORMOUS
AMOUNT OF MONEY. MY MEMORY
SERVES ABOUT $18 MILLION AND
ENDED UP ONLY WINNING THE CITY
OF DETROIT. AND SO IT’S GOING TO
BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHETHER HE
CAN LEVERAGE THAT MONEY MORE
EFFECTIVELY THAN IN HIS PREVIOUS
GUBERNATORIAL RUN. THE $5
MILLION. PLUS, I BELIEVE IT’S
ABOUT EIGHT. NOW THAT’S
IMPORTANT TO HIS CAMPAIGN FROM
HIS OWN PERSONAL WEALTH.
CERTAINLY IS SOMETHING TO GO UP
AGAINST. BUT ADAM EARLIER IS
HAVING A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF
SUPPORT FROM UNITED DEMOCRACY
PROJECT THIS A PAC AFFILIATED
SUPER PAC THAT WE DISCUSSED
EARLIER AND SO THIS MAY HELP
SORT OF GIVE HIM THE BOOST. TO
SPEND SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FIVE AND
$8 MILLION ON A JOB THAT PAYS
$200,000 IS A LESS THAN $200,000
. A YEAR IS CRAZY TO SOME. BUT
SIMON, I GUESS THE LAST THING I
WANTED TO ASK YOU THE OLD THE
OLD WAY THAT IT ALL HAS ALWAYS
BEEN THE PERSON WHO RAISES THE
MOST MONEY TENDS TO WIN. NOW YOU
CAN ARGUE WHICH, WHETHER THE
TAIL WAGS THE DOG, WHICH COMES
FIRST. THERE IT BECOMES LIKELY
THAT SOMEONE’S GOING TO WIN AND
SO THEY CAN RAISE MORE MONEY OR
THEY RAISED MORE MONEY. AND THEN
THEY WIN. BUT DO YOU SEE IS THAT
IS THAT STILL WHERE WE ARE? DO
YOU SEE PLACES WHERE SOMEBODY IS
GOING TO BE OUTSPENT BUT STILL
HAS A FIGHTING CHANCE TO WIN.
YOU KNOW, I WOULDN’T SAY THAT
NECESSARILY. SOMEONE WHO HAS THE
MOST MONEY IS GENERALLY GOING TO
WIN THE ELECTION. I THINK A GOOD
EXAMPLE OF THIS ACTUALLY WOULD
BE A GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE,
RYAN KELLY. HE HASN’T RAISED ALL
THAT MUCH MONEY, AND HE HASN’T
SPENT ALL THAT MUCH EITHER. YET
HE’S STILL DOING DECENTLY WELL
IN THE POLLS BECAUSE HE HAS SO
MUCH NAME I D APART FROM HIS
ARREST BY THE FBI TO BEGINNING
OF JUNE, UM I THINK IT’S
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT YOU KNOW
IT’S ONE OF MANY FACTORS AND
THAT ESPECIALLY IN A PRIMARY,
THAT’S FIVE CANDIDATES SO MANY
VOTERS ARE UNDECIDED. THAT’S
WHERE MONEY CAN PLAY A MUCH
BIGGER ROLE, HOWEVER, BECAUSE
YOU NEED TO GET YOUR NAME OUT
AND GET YOUR FACE IN FRONT OF
THESE VOTERS AND TELL THEM WHAT
YOU’RE ABOUT, BECAUSE THEY DON’T
HAVE AN IDEA. EVEN YOU KNOW,
DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION OF WHO
THEY’RE GOING TO VOTE FOR, AND
IN TURN, WE DON’T REALLY HAVE AN
IDEA OF WHICH WAY THE
SELECTIONS. THAT’S WHY IT’S