The New “Gang of Three”
How a Pro-Discrimination Organization is Funding Republicans in the Middlesex-Worcester AreaQ: Who are The New Gang of Three?
A: The New Gang of Three are three Republican candidates for the Massachusetts state Legislature who are receiving a significant portion of their campaign funding from a pro-discrimination organization and its funders. The New Gang of Three are:
- Steven Levy of Marlborough, Republican candidate for the Middlesex & Worcester state Senate district
- Kurt Hayes of Boxborough, Republican candidate for the 37th Middlesex state House district
- Arthur Vigeant of Marlborough, Republican candidate for the 4th Middlesex state House district
Q: What is this “pro-discrimination organization” that is funding The New Gang of Three?
A: “MIPAC” (a.k.a. the Massachusetts Independent Political Action Committee for Working Families) is a political “PAC” whose singular goal is to see discriminatory language written into the Massachusetts state Constitution. MIPAC works to achieve this goal by funding candidates for the Massachusetts state Legislature who support writing discriminatory language into the Constitution.
Q: Has MIPAC contributed to The New Gang of Three?
A: Yes, MIPAC has directly contributed $500, the maximum amount allowable under campaign finance law per year from a “PAC,” to each member of The New Gang of Three, according to MIPAC’s 2008 pre-primary report, filed on September 8, 2008, with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF).
Q: A single $500 contribution from a single PAC can’t fund an entire state legislative campaign. How can it be argued that the pro-discrimination organization MIPAC is funding The New Gang of Three?
A: This is where a group like MIPAC can have its biggest impact. MIPAC doesn’t just send a $500 check to legislative candidates willing to write discrimination into the Massachusetts state Constitution. MIPAC organizes members who share its discriminatory goal and gathers contributions from its membership, urging members to direct funding to these pro-discrimination candidates.
Note the overlap between contributors to MIPAC and contributors to the Republicans of The New Gang of Three. Based on MIPAC’s and each Republican candidate’s 2008 pre-primary report filed with OCPF, below is a chart of contributors to MIPAC between 1/1/08 and 8/29/08, and the amounts that these MIPAC contributors also sent directly to these pro-discrimination Republican candidates during this time period, increasing the impact of their pro-discrimination contributions. Also note that nearly 100% of these contributors live outside of the respective districts of these pro-discrimination Republican legislative candidates.
Contributor
$ to MIPAC
$ to Levy
$ to Hayes
$ to Vigeant
Robert Aquadro, Florence/Northampton, MA
$50
–
$35
–
Robert & Nancy Bradley, Wellesley, MA
$1,000
$500
–
$500
Tom & Carol Breuer, Winchester, MA
$500
$500
$1,000
$1,000
John & Kristine DeMatteo, Wellesley, MA
$1,000
$500
–
$500
Vincent Errichetti, North Reading, MA
$50
$50
–
–
S. Warren Farrell, Belmont, MA
$250
$100
–
–
Scott Fitzgibbon, Belmont, MA
$500
$500
–
–
Daniel Geer, Cambridge, MA
$299
–
$100
–
Linda Hemphill, Lexington, MA
$100
$100
–
–
John Joyce, Dover, MA
*
$500
$250
–
Susan Leeming, Harvard, MA
$100
$100
–
–
Merit McIntyre, Haverhill, MA
$500
$100
–
$100
Kristian &n
bsp;“Kris” Mineau, North Reading, MA
**
$100
$100
$200
James Morgan, Marblehead, MA
$500
$100
–
–
Edward & Phyllis Noonan, Hingham, MA
***
–
$200
–
Vincent Pattavina, Braintree, MA
$100
–
$135
–
Len Picard, Newton, MA
$500
$500
$300
$500
Chanel Prunier, Shrewsbury, MA
****
$350
$100
$250
Joseph & Evelyn Reilly, Waltham, MA
$25
$50
–
–
Raymond Ruddy, Dover, MA
$500
$500
–
–
Thomas & Madelyn Shields, Beverly, MA
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
David & Alana Stubblebine, Lincoln, MA
$100
$100
–
–
Walter & Kathleen Weld, Beverly, MA
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
Total from pro-discrimination donors
$6,650
$4,220
$5,050
Plus $500 contribution from MIPAC
$7,150
$4,720
$5,550
% of total itemized contributions
35.4%
38.2%
20.1%
*John Joyce contributed $500 to MIPAC in 2007.
**Kristian “Kris” Mineau is the President of the so-called “Massachusetts Family Institute,” another pro-discrimination outfit that shares MIPAC’s goal of writing discriminatory language into the Massachusetts state Constitution. Robert Bradley of Wellesley, MA, is not just a funder of MIPAC, but a founder of MIPAC, as well, and sits on the Board of Trustees of Mineau’s “Massachusetts Family Institute.”
***Edward Noonan contributed $200 to MIPAC in 2007, and Edward & Phyllis combined for $1,000 in 2006.
****Chanel Prunier served as Campaign Director for the pro-discrimination VoteOnMarriage.org effort.
Based on each candidate’s 2008 pre-primary report filed with OCPF, we see that a significant portion of funding for these Republicans comes specifically from supporters of this pro-discrimination organization:
- Nearly 40% of Republican Kurt Hayes’ itemized contributions come from pro-discrimination donors who live outside of the 37th Middlesex state House district,
- Over one-third of Republican Steven Levy’s itemized contributions come from pro-discrimination donors who live outside of the Middlesex & Worcester state Senate district,
- Over one-fifth of Republican Arthur Vigeant’s itemized contributions come from pro-discrimination donors who live outside of the 4th Middlesex state House district.
That such significant portions of entire legislative campaigns are funded by supporters of a single pro-discrimination organization does not happen by accident. There is clearly a concerted effort on the part of these pro-discrimination funders to reach out to The New Gang of Three, ostensibly in direct response to their pro-discrimination positions, and buoy their campaigns with funds.
It is important to inform the voters of each Republican’s respective district that these Republicans’ campaigns are significantly funded by a single pro-discrimination organization.
are comically tightwads, lol!
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p>The memo doesn’t mention it, but Stubblebine played a major roll in the campaign to pass the anti-equality marriage amendment. He used his business offices to host meetings, made lots of phone calls to signature gathering organizers, and kept a stream of emails going. And he conspicuously did this under “christian” auspices. He’s a dedicated homophobe whose name shouldn’t be allowed to hide in anonymity.
Is Jamie scheduled to debate Levy anytime soon?
A repeat candidate for State Rep running against Barbara L’Italien in the 18th Essex is Lonnie Brennan, who had this previous post on Blue Mass Group.
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p>Brennan also accepts money from anti-gay groups and Kristian Mineau has already donated to his candidacy. Lonnie has an event website that links to anti-gay groups such as MassResistance.
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p>Brennan appeared on the Camenker’s MassResistance radio show two years ago. When asked what made his opponent electable he replied, “Well she’s blond, blue-eyed…and you know.”