Bacon's Rebellion

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New Yorkers, Virginians Will See Your Political Campaign Contributions and Raise You Dick Saslaw

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by

sherlockj
in ,

Sen. Dick Saslaw Official Photo

by James C. Sherlock

The New York Post was scandalized.

In a stunning display of how New York politics work, two of the state Legislature’s most outspoken opponents of charter schools are also among the biggest recipients of campaign cash from New York’s teachers’ union and its political action committee.

State Sen. John Liu (D-Queens), chairman of the New York City Education Committee, has raked in $33,300 since his first Senate race in 2018, putting him in the No. 3 spot behind Sen. John Mannion (D-Syracuse), who got $35,100 during the same period.

The money for the anti-charter pols came from both the New York State United Teachers — parent of the city’s powerful United Federation of Teachers — and its Voice of Teachers for Education PAC, state Board of Elections records show.

“Stunning,” they wrote.

Pikers.

Now I happen to agree with the Post’s position supporting charter schools. But the writers of the article are spoiled by New York’s campaign finance laws.

They need to come to Virginia to see what real financial influence in politics looks like.

In the 2022-2023 election cycle alone, contributions to Virginia candidates from the real estate and construction sector were $10,775,820; retail/services sector $8,572,576; energy/natural resources $5,891,155; and health care sector $5,764,700 dollars. Source: VPAP.

Some familiar names have career total donations of note. Source again, VPAP.

  • Sen Dick Saslaw (D): $1,399,593 from the health care sector; $1,346,869 Energy/Natural resources sector, including $660,508 from Dominion Energy.
  • Sen. Louise Lucas (D): $519,657 from energy and natural resource donors, including $400,950 from Dominion Energy; $433,863 from health care interests.
  • Sen Steve Newman (R): $664,771 from the health care sector.
  • Sen Emmett Hanger (R): $650,779 from health care interests.
  • Sen. George Barker (D): $418,738 from health care interests.

Now we’re talking real money.

And they can spend it on anything they want, including themselves and their families.

So, New York Post, we’ll see your candidate getting $35,000 since 2018 and raise you Dick Saslaw.

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40 responses to “New Yorkers, Virginians Will See Your Political Campaign Contributions and Raise You Dick Saslaw”

  1. Matt Adams Avatar
    Matt Adams

    Just like at the Federal level, the best legislature money can buy.

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Dominion has a new favorite. AG Miyares has received more than $400K from it since he began his campaign two years ago. Not sure even Saslaw raked in $400K in two years. Campaign fund and leadership PAC combined.

      I’ve been advocating for removing the consumer counsel function from that office for years.

    2. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Dominion has a new favorite. AG Miyares has received more than $400K from it since he began his campaign two years ago. Not sure even Saslaw raked in $400K in two years. Campaign fund and leadership PAC combined.

      I’ve been advocating for removing the consumer counsel function from that office for years.

    3. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Dominion has a new favorite. AG Miyares has received more than $400K from it since he began his campaign two years ago. Not sure even Saslaw raked in $400K in two years. Campaign fund and leadership PAC combined.

      I’ve been advocating for removing the consumer counsel function from that office for years.

    4. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      I disagree. There are limits on contributions to federal campaigns – no limits to Virginia state campaigns.

      1. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        “James C. Sherlock Matt Adams 11 minutes ago
        I disagree. There are limits on contributions to federal campaigns – no limits to Virginia state campaigns.”

        Instead you have federal campaigns funded by dark money.

        So while VA it’s transparent buying, at the Fed it’s behind closed doors.

        Again, there is no difference. The best Legislature, money can buy.

    5. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Dominion has a new favorite. AG Miyares has received more than $400K from it since he began his campaign two years ago. Not sure even Saslaw raked in $400K in two years. Campaign fund and leadership PAC combined.

      I’ve been advocating for removing the consumer counsel function from that office for years.

      1. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        D or R they are merely just opposites sides of the same corrupt coin.

        The problem stems from the people not understanding the Federal System and that their power rises from the local level ( coupled with at the Federal Level Congress abdicating its respsonblitites of Governance to the Executive Branch to campaign and pot lobbyist dollars) , where they can and should hold people accountable. Instead they just reelect the same garbage every cycle and expect different results.

  2. Kathleen Smith Avatar
    Kathleen Smith

    Saslaw is/was well respected. His contributions show it. Are you sure you shouldn’t be writing this about lobbyists?

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      His contribution level mainly reflects his positions of power, as majority leader, chair of the Commerce and Labor Committee and senior budget conferee. And yes, mainly it is lobbyists offering rather than legislators demanding. But many legislators have some level of self control, worried about appearances if nothing else. Others know they own their seats for life so who cares what others think?

    2. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      His contribution level mainly reflects his positions of power, as majority leader, chair of the Commerce and Labor Committee and senior budget conferee. And yes, mainly it is lobbyists offering rather than legislators demanding. But many legislators have some level of self control, worried about appearances if nothing else. Others know they own their seats for life so who cares what others think?

    3. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      Saslaw is/was well respected.

      Last night I remembered my mother telling me that if I cannot find something nice to say about someone to say nothing at all. Yesterday I went against that advice in a comment regarding Mr. Saslaw.

      So today I will simply say: “Nothing at all”.

    4. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      Saslaw is/was powerful. Respect has nothing to do with it.

      1. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        As a lobbyist, I liked working with him. He was willing to meet and listen. He was frank about his positions or intentions. He made his money in a retail business (gasoline stations/convenience stores) so understood the challenges and how government could be a hinderance. Most sessions you can count on one or two hands the legislators with real day to day business experience (outside a law firm). His own caucus began to push him hard left and to maintain power, he listened too often. He was showing his years this session. Nobody I know is relishing how the power vacuum will be filled.

  3. James McCarthy Avatar
    James McCarthy

    Alas, poor Sherlock, we thought knew him well. Or maybe we are first catching on. While carping about campaign contributions in NY from the teachers unions for two legislators commencing in 2018, the article attempts to compare the career contributions to several VA legislators from multiple sources. Staggering proportions the piece seems to shout and evidence of monstrous corruption.

    Dick Saslaw is shown to have received about $1.4 million over his 47 year career indicating an average of about $30K per year from multiple sources. The two NY legislators each received $30-35 K in a shorter period from a single source.

    Shanda, shanda. Comparing apples and watermelons is not only misleading, it’s not anything like reporting or journalism.

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      Where do you get $1.4M for Dick Saslaw over 47 years?

      vpap.org lists $9,427,427 since Jan 1, 1996.

      https://www.vpap.org/candidates/47/finance_summary/

      1. James McCarthy Avatar
        James McCarthy

        Ask Sherlock. The $$$ data is in his article.

        1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
          James C. Sherlock

          See my response to DJ.

          You missed the fact that I was comparing contributions from one or two industry sources for the Virginia pols in an attempt to provide an apples-to-apples comparison to the teachers union contributions to the NY pols. Which you accused me of not doing.

          You also missed the fact that I was not “carping about campaign contributions in NY from the teachers unions for two legislators”, but rather making fun of the Post’s outrage.

          Thus the word “pikers”.

          Finally, you missed the fact that I deplored Virginia’s campaign finance laws, which was the point of the article.

          Other than that, you got everything right.

          Try next time to read what I write before you launch yourself into the fray.

      2. James C. Sherlock Avatar
        James C. Sherlock

        You are correct, DJ. See my reply to McCarthy above. I was pointing out one or two industry sources of campaign contributions for all five politicians in an attempt to provide an apples-to-apples point of comparison with the teachers union contributions in the article.

        McCarthy missed that, and accused me of doing the opposite, but it is not unusual for him.

      3. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        His usual 4th point of contact.

      4. James C. Sherlock Avatar
        James C. Sherlock

        You are correct, DJ. See my reply to McCarthy above. I was pointing out one or two industry sources of campaign contributions for all five politicians in an attempt to provide an apples-to-apples point of comparison with the teachers union contributions in the article.

        McCarthy missed that, and accused me of doing the opposite, but it is not unusual for him.

      5. James C. Sherlock Avatar
        James C. Sherlock

        You are correct, DJ. See my reply to McCarthy above. I was pointing out one or two industry sources of campaign contributions for all five politicians in an attempt to provide an apples-to-apples point of comparison with the teachers union contributions in the article.

        McCarthy missed that, and accused me of doing the opposite, but it is not unusual for him.

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          Got it.

      6. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        His total is probably far north of that considering he’s been in GA since 1976.

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          Oh yeah, he had 20 years of handouts before vpap began counting!

    2. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      yes. talking about “tilting” the narrative!

      Puts WaPo to shame!

      1. James McCarthy Avatar
        James McCarthy

        Nah!!! The hands-down winner is Faux whose Murdoch also owns the NY Post quoted in this article. A news post today from Faux shouted that the Bidens were criticized for ordering exactly the same entree at an Italian restaurant in DC. “Sparks Strong Reaction” blares the headline.
        What could be more evidence of ??????

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          owns, FOX, the New York Post and WSJ – all loquaciously quoted here in BR honest injun to go with the conjecture.

        2. Stephen Haner Avatar
          Stephen Haner

          Virginia has a huge problem with its wild west campaign finance rules. Take it from somebody who has been behind the closed doors. We need to put some hard, firm and enforceable caps in place. We should throw a light on the dark money.

          Good to see the lefties on here are fine with all that. Both sides have killed all the real reform bills after all. Then they posture and blame the other party.

          1. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            It’s the game, at the Federal Level look at the Union Contributions dating back to the teamsters. No different then when Citizen United passed.

            Politicians aren’t going to solve any base stirring issues, that would dry up their cash cow and they actually have to Govern.

          2. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            No suggestion is made in favor of present campaign finance regs. It’s not only the dark $$$ that VA politicos but the absence of limitations for personal use.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            You may have missed how “lefties” feel about Citizens United and dark money in general?

    3. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      You can’t add, my friend.

      Look at the Saslaw numbers again. And that is from just two donor industries.

      He has received $9,500,000 in campaign donations since 1996. He runs every four years. Seven elections.

      I really don’t know what point you are trying to make. Maybe you don’t either.

      It is an undeniable fact that New York, where you came from, has state campaign donation limits, and Virginia does not. And Virginia is one of two states with no rules on how excess campaign donations can be spent.

      Saslaw got 93% of the vote in his last election. He spent $2.4 million and got 35,131 votes. He had $1,250,000 cash on hand at the end of 2022.

      If he retires, its his.

      1. James McCarthy Avatar
        James McCarthy

        CORRECTION. The article lists about $2.76 from two sectors as career totals to compare with that in NY from a single source.

        1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
          James C. Sherlock

          Yet, McCarthy, I indicated that they were from two sources and broke them out individually, did I not? Did that somehow leave you mystified?

          1. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            Nope. Your insinuation that two NY legislators (who serve full time and characterized as opponents of charter schools as opposed to being characterized as public school advocates) received contributions from teacher unions over a short period of years influenced their legislative duties. That was apples. Then you compared Saslaw’s career receipts from two sectors (constituting multiple donors) as comparative. That is the watermelon. The donor sources in both states are not equivalent; the timelines are not equivalent. The critical innuendo fails. No mystery.

          2. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            Read my article yet again.

            I made no insinuations about NY legislators. I lampooned the NY Post for criticizing them.

            You simply refuse to get it.

          3. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            I think it’s painfully obvious to anyone with a functioning cerebral cortex that you have a problem admitting you’re wrong.

            To the point where you lash out irrationally when confronted with your errors.

            Just for your edification, since you couldn’t be bothered to look at VPAP’s website. Dick Saslaw received $75,000 from Dominion this last reportable cycle. So you were saying?

  4. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    If we want to talk about school unions and such – in Virginia – we ought to look at the general landscape for money in Virginia:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1c6c1986b4cade862cdf0e2831efe2c5ac09edac96f9fe24a9d6415b6cc46735.jpg

    https://www.vpap.org/money/donors-sector/

  5. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    Shhh… don’t tell the charter school industry…

    “Hochul’s contributions show she also has some support in the charter sector. New Yorkers for Putting Students First, the political action committee for pro-charter, education reform advocacy organization StudentsFirst NY, gave Hochul $40,000 in September 2021. The committee also donated to Hochul when she was lieutenant governor.

    She also received $30,000 this year from the Great Public Schools Political Action Committee, which was created by Eva Moskowitz, who founded New York’s largest charter network, Success Academy. That committee had previously also supported Cuomo. A representative for Success Academy declined to comment on the donation.”

    “Loeb, who is the CEO of a New York City-based asset management firm called Third Point LLC, donated the maximum $47,100 allowed in general elections to Zeldin’s campaign last month. In the education world, Loeb sits on the board of trustees for Success Academy and was previously the network’s chairperson.”

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