As in Alaska, GOP governors' association runs campaign shell group in Michigan

In a campaign tactic identical to what it is doing in Alaska, the Republican Governors Association has set up a front group in Michigan to spend money on its favored candidate under false pretenses.

The RGA set up a checking account at its Virginia bank and called the account “A Stronger Alaska.” It then reported to the Alaska Public Offices Commission that it had created a separate group called “A Stronger Alaska.” The group does not exist except in reports to the APOC.

For Michigan, the RGA set up a bank account called “Get Michigan Working Again” to funnel money to support Republican Tudor Dixon for governor.

“Get Michigan Working Again is a pleasant-sounding name, but it is a mirage,” Progress Michigan said in a complaint filed under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.

As is the case in Alaska, the RGA is telling the IRS that it is spending money in Michigan to back its favored candidate, while it is telling Michigan authorities that “Get Michigan Working Again” is paying the bills.

The disclaimer on the Michigan ads for Dixon do not reveal that the RGA is actually sponsoring and financing the ads.

“It’s our hope that a thorough investigation is launched and all parties involved stop misleading Michigan voters,” Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan said in a press release. “Given the dysfunction of Trump’s Republican Party I understand the RGA’s desire to hide their identity through a much nicer sounding name, but doing so at the expense of the full public disclosure required by the campaign finance laws must have consequences.”

Progress Michigan sent letters to TV stations airing GMWA advertisements to request their removal. Here is the Progress Michigan press conference.

“The content in question violates the Michigan Campaign Finance Act for falsely identifying who sponsored them, and goes against Federal Communications Commission requirements that the true sponsor of an ad be identified. The advertisements currently contain a disclaimer from the Get Michigan Working Against (GMWA) Super Political Action Committee (PAC) when in fact the RGA is paying for these ads and is the true sponsor of them,” Progress Michigan said in a press release.

The RGA is claiming to Alaska that its reports to the IRS show that the money is coming from the RGA, but that is because the RGA did not get a separate ID number for its Alaska “group.”

The IRS says that all political groups, including those with no employees, must have employment identification numbers. The number is used to identify a business entity. It is a simple thing to get one and a business needs one to open a bank account.

Get Michigan Working Again is supposedly in the same office as “A Stronger Alaska,” Suite 250 at 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the home of the RGA.

The two “groups” have the same treasurer, Erim Canligil, the CFO of the RGA, and use the same bank and have the same contact number, the RGA phone number. His name is also on the paperwork for “Get Families Back to Work,” which has entities under that name in various states.

Your contributions help support independent analysis and political commentary by Alaska reporter and author Dermot Cole. Thank you for reading and for your support. Either click here to use PayPal or send checks to: Dermot Cole, Box 10673, Fairbanks, AK 99710-0673