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Conservative Dem PAC Lags Behind in Money Chase

Politics, This Washington   July 6, 2010 at 12:13 pm Josh Feit

With two Roadkill Democrats under attack from liberal Democratic challengers—Lillian Kaufer is taking on state Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44, Snohomish) and Nick Harper is taking on state Sen. Jean Berkey (D-38, Everett)—it seems like a good time to check back in on the Roadkill Caucus PAC.

The Roadkill Caucus is the self-deprecating name a group of Democrats in the state legislature gave themselves because they feel they get run over by their liberal Democratic colleagues on the left and their more conservative Republican opponents on the right every session.

As we reported last month, the Roadkillers set up a PAC to support their campaigns as big labor, for example, gets behind challengers like Harper and Kaufer.

Here are the stats to date: They’ve raised about $8,000, most of it (more than $6,000) coming in at their June 8 debut BBQ fundraiser at the Indian Summer Golf Club in Olympia, which was hosted by a group of corporate lobbyists from Eli Lilly, Costco, Amgen, Anheuser-Busch, and Pacificorp. Their biggest contributions came from from Puget Sound Energy, The Regence Group, and the Aerospace Futures Alliance.

State Sens. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-10, Camano Island) and Brian Hatfield (D-19, Raymond), both Roadkillers, have contributed $100 each.

The group has its work cut out for it, though. As the P-I.com reports, the Washington State Labor Council’s DIME PAC, specifically formed to challenge conservative Democrats, has raised $890,000.

That’ll certainly be helpful to Kaufer and Harper, who’ve only raised $12,000 and $21,000 respectively. Some context: Kaufer’s opponent, Hobbs, has raised $146,000 and Harper’s opponent, Berkey, has raised $61,000.




  • LaborGoon

    The Roadkill Caucus is why the Democratic Party could soon lose its majority in Olympia. Clearly, state Democratic leaders care more about staying in power than they do about advocating for their traditional values/constituencies. That's why almost every truly progressive change in Washington has happened via ballot initiative (minimum wage, indoor smoking ban, teacher raises, smaller class sizes, etc.) Democrats like to brag about it after the fact, but they're too scared to DO IT.

    Instead, they recruit these Chamber of Commerce conservatives (like Roadkillers) in the suburbs/swing districts, just so they can expand their majority from 10 to 12 seats. Hey, as long as they have a “D” next to their names, who cares if they consistently side with business interests over labor-enviro-progressive interests, right?

    The whole strategy depends on your traditional constituencies feeling like they have no place to go and will continue to support them, because the alternative is worse. But in the end, it won't matter if interest groups support or oppose them. All it takes is for a small percentage of your former supporters to decide you don't care about them, and voila… the pendulum swings again.

    Roadkill, indeed.

  • PatA4

    These are the same benefactors who've already maxed out to Hobbs and Berkey individually, just double dipping. The PAC was specifically set up for Hobbs, now he'll have to share with Berkey. Voters see how these politicians are bought and owned, they are corporate whores.

  • Allanbdarr

    If the House were to change, the R's would drop Hobs and Berkey like a fast forged horse horse shoe. I said early on that Hobs was going to be a problem and Senator Berkey is an R at heart. You had to drag her kicking and screaming to obtain a vote for union issues.

    ABD