Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon’s recent finance filings show that big-pocket GOP donors have not yet contributed to her campaign following her win in a five-candidate August primary.
In contrast, campaign finance disclosures from Thursday show that incumbent Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s has amassed $14 million in contributions. The Detroit News reported these funds were nearly 26 times larger than Dixon’s who reported a balance of only $523,930.
This stark contrast in funding between the two gubernatorial candidates may be due to the lack of support Dixon has received from traditional GOP donors, many of whom have contributed to Republican campaigns in the past.
I got it. Record funding. And still, record failure.
What precisely is the number required for the system to stop failing our children?
If it’s money, give me the number.
Call your union boss handlers, get a talking point, and come back to me. https://t.co/9CG0AbBFRt
— Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) September 9, 2022
An analysis by Bridge Michigan supported this conclusion, finding that only two of the 24 PACs that contributed to Bill Schuette’s 2018 campaign also donated to Dixon. The two PACs that did donate $5,000 or more to Dixon’s campaign or pro-Dixon super PAC Michigan Families United are the Michigan Petroleum Association and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Bridge Michigan reported.
This trend of Democrats out fundraising their Republican counterparts has been seen across the state and down the ballot with local legislative races experiencing the same fate as Dixon, according to The Detroit News.
Some speculate that increased Democrat fundraising efforts are largely fueled by the party’s desire to take advantage of Democrat-friendly redistricting as they look to flip GOP majorities in the House and Senate, The Detroit News added. Whitmer has enjoyed strong support from out-of-state donors, according to Michigan Live.
Regardless, major GOP donors seem to have taken “a wait-and-see position” because Dixon has never held public office, a Republican consultant with Harbor Strategic Public Affairs, John Sellek, told Bridge Michigan.
Sellek further explained that “Whitmer’s huge financial advantages and strengthened poll numbers at the start of the general election” discouraged donors from funding Dixon’s campaign.
Despite uncertainty over whether to invest in Dixon and other Republicans across the state, Michigan Republican Party spokesman Gus Portela told Bridge Michigan that the Republican Party’s focus is boost voter turnout “at all levels.”
“Regardless of when the party cuts the check … I’m sure the money will make a huge difference for the campaign,” he told the outlet.
Bridge Michigan reported that Democrats candidates have outspent Republican opponents in 19 of the 38 districts that remain up for grabs.