In the August 2024, primary race, the majority of Republican candidates endorsed by the Ottawa County Republican Party (OCRP) lost their races. Many factors influenced this election such as:
Democrats crossing over to vote in Republican primaries,
relentless attacks from main stream media outlets that led to Ottawa Impact Derangement Syndrome (OIDS),
voter confusion enhanced by deceptive email campaigns that appear to be from the Ottawa County Republican Party but are actually from political action committees largely funded by establishment Republicans
poor voter turnout
Nonetheless, it appears money had a significant influence on the primary election.
In 2022, Grand Haven City Council member Michael Fritz accused fellow council member Kevin McLaughlin of selling his vote. McLaughlin had received a $500 campaign donation from an individual involved in the marijuana business shortly before he voted in favor of a local marijuana-friendly policy. On the national scene, there have been allegations that the Harris campaign is paying social media influencers to create content that will sway voters. Moreover, the Harris campaign is using popular music acts such as Megan Thee Stallion to entertain voters and entice them to attend rallies. Just before the November 2020 election, investigators in nearby Muskegon uncovered a scheme involving GBI Strategies and fraudulent voter registrations likely backed by dark money. Recently, Project Veritas released a video showing former elected officials making allegations of vote selling and a voter auction in Hamtramck, Michigan. James O’Keefe with OkeefeMediaGroup exposed a scheme where large amounts of money was allegedly being laundered in small increments using names of Act Blue Donors. In Michigan, Bob Cushman has been tracking the flow of money from donors through PACs to candidates. His research shows how a few wealthy families are influencing Michigan politics.
It is really no secret that money can be used to buy influence. The questions are how often does it happen and when does it cross the line?
Returning to the August 2024 primary, in Ottawa County most candidates supported by establishment Republicans received around twice the donations as OCRP endorsed candidates. For example, Jordan Jorritsma received $21,392 in comparison to Lucy Ebel’s $9,919, and John Teeples received $37,885 compared to Rachel Atwood’s $20,102. While this ratio did not hold true for all races, when it came to races for clerk, prosecutor, and sheriff, the spreads were even greater. Cheryl Clark received $50,626 compared to Ben Genser’s $19,393. Sarah Matweijczyk received $62,359 compared to Greg Todd’s $25,510 and Eric DeBoer received a stunning $71,220 compared to Jon Anderson’s $13,864.
Perhaps even more interesting, current Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck ran unopposed, yet reeled in over $100,000 in donations. Since October 2023, Roebuck has received five separate donations of $8,325, each from a different individual with the last name DeVos.
What’s more, these candidate-specific campaign accounts do not include donations from political action committees (PAC) such as Ottawa for Good Government, Ottawa Integrity, Conservative Ottawa, Southeast Ottawa Action Committee (SOAC), and Georgetown Area Action Committee (GAAC). These PACs use donations to fund advertising campaigns both for and against candidates. For example, an electronic billboard advised county residents to vote out Ottawa Impact, tapping into the OIDS created by local main stream media outlets. Additionally, an enormous amount of money was spent on television and internet commercials, as well as mailers that contained misleading information opposing OCRP-endorsed candidates. Surprisingly, after one-and-a-half years of being labeled as right-wing extremists, some of the flyers accused commissioners of supporting liberal policies.
Although most of the campaign donors appear to be located in Ottawa County, District 10 commissioner candidate Josh Brugger and District 9 commissioner candidate Phil Kuyers mentioned receiving donations from California.
On the national level, here is a clip of one former Democratic Party campaign staffer talking about how candidates focus on making phone calls to rich donors. The American way of life relies on having moral people and an informed electorate. Money should not be used to create propaganda that misleads and confuses the electorate, as this threatens the rights of ALL citizens. Wouldn’t it be better if campaign ads focused on real issues and candidate positions instead of ad hominem attacks?