Bishop Facing Ongoing Criticism for Corporate Support
HOLLY, MI – In a show of growing grassroots support, national security leader and Democratic candidate for Congress Elissa Slotkin raised more than $440,000 in her second fundraising quarter, outraising two-term incumbent Republican Mike Bishop by more than $132,000 from the period of October to December 2017. This marks the second quarter in a row that Slotkin substantially outraised Bishop.
Slotkin made news last month when she announced that she would not be accepting corporate PAC money in her bid for Congress. Slotkin announced that more than 98% of her campaign contributions are from individual donations. Slotkin added more than a thousand new donors in her last fundraising quarter, and finished the year with more than $700,000 in the bank.
“I’m proud to run a campaign powered by real people, by individuals, by hard work. Michiganders are sick and tired of their representatives being bought and sold by the big corporations who write the big checks,” said Slotkin. “It’s clear that Michiganders are ready for a new generation of leaders who they see are ready to put the public first.”
Slotkin’s strong grassroots fundraising has outpaced Bishop, who is facing the toughest re-election of his career. Bishop raises the majority of his campaign funds from corporate PACs and special interests, an approach that has drawn criticism. The Detroit Free Press reported in January that Bishop has taken significant campaign donations from major pharmaceutical companies, despite the fact that two of the companies – Endo and McKesson – are currently being sued by counties across Michigan for misleading marketing practices that have led to opioid addiction. This past week, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters published an editorial calling out Bishop’s long anti-environmental record and his history of corporate support from the oil and gas industry, chemical companies, and other polluting industries.
Despite increased public criticism, Bishop continues to raise the majority of his funds this past quarter from corporate PACs and special interests, bringing in $103,500 from corporate PACs between October-December 2017, including $16,500 from the pharmaceutical industry. Bishop’s FEC report also shows that he received more than $10,000 from the powerful DeVos family and more than $5,000 from Detroit billionaire Manuel “Matty” Moroun’s family.
Slotkin is a third-generation Michigander who has spent her career in national service. In response to 9/11, Slotkin joined the Central Intelligence Agency, serving three tours in Iraq. She served under both Republican and Democratic administrations at the White House, Office of the Director for National Intelligence, and in the Pentagon. Slotkin currently lives in Holly, Michigan on her family farm. She is married to Dave Moore, a former Apache pilot, who retired as a colonel from the U.S. Army after 30 years of service. She is running in the Democratic primary to challenge career politician Mike Bishop for the seat that includes Ingham, Livingston, and northern Oakland Counties.
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