FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Michigan credit unions are putting their resources behind two endangered House Republicans, both supporters of the credit union regulatory relief bill known as CURIA, who are threatened by the expected tide of Democratic voters in next week’s elections.
"It’s been an incredibly bad year here for Republicans," said Patrick LaPine, chief lobbyist for the Michigan CU League, who noted last month’s widely publicized pull-out of the McCain campaign from the state. The action has left several Republican candidates without any national coattails, particularly threatening eight-term Rep. Joe Knollenberg and freshman Tim Walberg, both co-sponsors of CURIA.
Knollenberg, who won last time with just 52% of the vote, has been hurt by the redistricting of the last elections, before which the district was solidly Republican, LaPine told The Credit Union Journal yesterday. "It’s closer than it should be," he added, of the House Appropriation Committee member’s race against Democratic former state Rep. and state lottery commissioner Gary Peters.
Peters and others in Michigan races are being supported with heavy financing from the national Democratic Party. "The (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) just dumped a ton of money into the race. He (Knollenberg) just can’t keep pace with it," said LaPine.
Credit unions have been helping raise money and volunteer for Knollenberg, a strong supporter of the credit union tax exemption and of funding for overseas credit union development from his seat on the appropriations committee, according to LaPine.
The Democratic tide is also threatening Walberg, another CURIA co-sponsor, who won the last election with just over 50% of the vote.
In recent weeks the Michigan league has contributed campaign funds to: Michigan Quality of Life Fund, a PAC supporting Michigan Democrats ($25,000); the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee ($15,000); CAMPAC, a leadership PAC for Republican Dave Camp, who would be the senior Republican on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee $5,000); and Bart’s PAC, a leadership PAC for Democrat Bart Stupak ($5,000)–as well as a $5,000 contribution to each of those two candidates’ individual campaigns.
