Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is releasing the names of his donors to his Democratic National Committee campaign — an effort to pressure his opponents to reveal their own financial backers ahead of the Feb. 1 election.
O’Malley’s list, shared first with POLITICO, shows more than 350 people who had donated to his campaign, totaling about $350,000, and his spokesperson called on the other DNC chair candidates to “do the same” by Saturday.
O’Malley — an apparent third-place contestant in the race — is making a move that appears aimed at Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, a prolific fundraiser whose close relationship with top donors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, has come under attack from his opponents. Hoffman is not popular among some DNC members, after he angered state party chairs by launching a voter data organization in 2018, a prized asset that’s primarily managed by state parties.
A spokesperson for Wikler’s campaign said their campaign is backed by 1,000 donors, but declined to release a list in its entirety. But they will disclose their donors at midnight on Jan. 31, when they are legally required to file their 527 non-profit and hybrid federal PAC with the Federal Elections Commission.
“It’s no secret that Ben has raised more money for Wisconsin than any state party chair in the country — and he’s used it to power critical, razor-thin wins in the Senate, Supreme Court and legislative victories in the state,” the spokesperson continued in the statement. “The DNC needs a chair with a proven record of raising serious funds to fight for working people and Democratic values. As Chair, Ben will also supercharge sustainable grassroots funding, as he has in Wisconsin, and treat donors at all levels like human beings rather than ATMs.”
A spokesperson for Ken Martin, who leads Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the apparent frontrunner in the race, said “they would have no problem releasing the names of their donors.”
Martin also took some veiled shots at Wikler for “rub[bing] elbows with billionaires or Hollywood elites” last week. When asked at last week’s DNC forum if Wikler’s “connection to Democratic donors” was a “bad thing,” Martin praised Wikler’s fundraising strength but criticized his closeness to Hoffman, though not by name.
O’Malley has lagged behind Wikler and Martin in publicly released whip counts but is “committed to this and will lead by establishing trust and transparency at the DNC. It begins with the release of this list,” said spokesperson Chris Taylor in a statement.
“The common theme throughout conversations with DNC Members is a lack of openness and transparency within the party,” Taylor’s statement continued. “It must be a leader we can trust at every level whether to set a primary nomination calendar in a fair process, overhaul vendor selection, or open up the DNC’s books to its members.”
DNC chair campaigns are not required to release their donors ahead of the chair election on Feb. 1, when 448 DNC members will vote on their leadership. Instead, campaigns use a variety of fundraising vehicles, including federal campaign accounts and 527 nonprofit groups to raise money for their bids. All of those groups are governed by different disclosure laws, which have different standards.
O’Malley’s campaign confirmed he is raising money through a 527 group, which can raise unlimited funds from donors.
Jessica Piper contributed to this report.
Read the full article here