Jan. 23, 2007
[Updated Oct 20, 2007]

Kansas Democrats Use Congressional District Party "Committees" as  Political $uperfund
To Pump Money to Kansas Democratic Party, Sebelius, Morrison and Pollsters
(What to do when writing one check for $40,000 
to the Kansas Democratic Party would be illegal?  Write EIGHT checks!)

Let's say you're a "homemaker" living in Los Angeles, California and you wanted to help Democrats in Kansas during the 2006 elections.  Let's say you had an extra $40,000 that you wanted to send to Kansas Democrats, perhaps because your wanted to "adopt" the home state of your new son-in-law, a  graduate of Lawrence High School in Kansas.  Your daughter's wedding in Santa Barbara to this Kansas native is still on your mind from 2003, and perhaps you want to help your son-in-law, an attorney,  make some connection to Kansas Democratic Party with your $40,000 contribution.  How can this be done legally?

Or, say you wanted to send $100,000 to Kansas Democrats to help Sebelius and Kansas Democrats put a full-court press on Kansas Republicans in 2006, but you didn't  want your name directly associated with the money?  How can this be done legally and discreetly?

The political contribution limits published on the Kansas Governmental Ethics web page limits you to $2000 per statewide candidate per primary/general election cycle.  As a person, you can give $15,000 to the state party, or  $5000 to each recognized party committee, which can be multiplied by four by contributing to each of the four congressional district party committees.  Since the Kansas Democratic Party has a common treasurer for the state party and the four congressional districts, the Kansas Democrats could easily funnel your large contribution split into parts to where it is needed.  But of course, knowing there are no limitations on contributions to a political action committee seems like an appealing route, also.

Recently while researching the activities of the Democratic Governor's Association in their support of Kathleen Sebelius and her Bluestem Fund PAC in the last election cycle, a large common set of donors was observed making contributions to all or many of the four Democratic Party Congressional District Committees, often on the same date.

This method of funneling political money to Kansas Democrats had been observed in a recent article speculating that after George Tiller gave $120,000 to the Democratic Governor's Association in 2002-2004, perhaps that money was returned to Kansas Democrats via large contributions in 2005 from the Democratic Governor's Association to the Kansas Democratic Party, and their four congressional district party committees. Since this "trick" worked before, why not do the same thing again, but with multiple groups?

Pamela M. Mullin, a philanthropist and activist "homemaker" from Los Angeles, perhaps wanted to "help" her  son-in-law, Matthew B. Cobb, who originally was from Lawrence, KS.   These groups reported receiving checks from Pamela M, Mullin on the same date,  Sept. 8, 2006:

• $10,000 to the Kansas Democratic Party

• $5,000 to the Kansas Democratic Party (why two checks to the KDP instead of one?)

• $5,000 to the Democratic Legislative Victory Fund, 1st Congressional District

• $5,000 to the Democratic Legislative Victory Fund, 2nd Congressional District

• $5,000 to the Democratic Legislative Victory Fund, 3rd Congressional District

• $5,000 to the Democratic Tallgrass Committee (4th Congressional District)

Pamela Mullin wrote two more checks a week later on Sept 15, 2006:

• $3000 to Kathleen Sebelius' Blue Stem PAC

• $2000 to Kathleen Sebelius for Governor

In just one week, with eight  checks totaling $40,000, this LA "homemaker" did her part in helping Kansas Democrats last year.  No laws were broken, and with a single person, Dan Lykins, the treasurer of all five Democratic party committees, the Kansas Democrats could easily funnel $35,000 of this money to where it was needed most.  In 2006, this "$Superfund" was used to transfer funds mostly to the Kansas Democratic Party, Kathleen Sebelius for Governor, Paul Morrison for Attorney General, and pollsters.

How important was funneling such large contributions through the Congressional District Committees to the Kansas Democrats in 2006?  The following summary of contribution reports to the Democratic and Republican Party committees in 2005 and 2006 gives the context for these contributions.  

The diagram below, The "$uperfund" for the Kansas Democratic Party, shows  which groups made multiple contributions to the four Democratic Party Congressional Committees, and how that money was funneled to the Kansas Democratic Party, Sebelius, Morrison, and pollsters.

Committee

The political money difference between the Democratic and Republican Congressional Committees is vastly different with the Democrats out-raising and out-spending the Republicans by a unbelievable 9-to-1 ratio.  

Before exploring the differences in the money in the Congressional District Committees, let's review what is known about the Democratic and Republican party committees in Kansas.

Each party has a State Party Committee to oversee its political activities in Kansas: 

The illegible signature on the recent "Senate Democrats Committee" report matches the signature on the statement of organization, which supposedly is signed by the PAC chair, Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley.  Based on the signatures, Senate Minority Leader Hensley is signing the contribution reports from both groups, instead of Timothy Graham, who is supposedly the Treasurer.   To promote more Democrats in the Kansas Senate, Kansas Democrats have BOTH a "recognized" committee and a PAC with a similar name, with the same treasurer at the same address.  [In 2004 apparently one or both of these groups sent out a mysterious mailing from the SDC PAC in certain senate races-- the SDC group is a "recognized party committee" while their PAC was DSCC.  The source of that 2004 mailing was quite deceptive.]

Precinct committees, normally consisting of one man and one woman, are elected in each Kansas precinct in each party to help with party activities in the precinct.  The precinct committees for each party vote on officers for the County Party Central Committees, and vote on delegates to a congressional district meeting.  

These congressional district delegates vote on party officers for their congressional district, as well as delegates to the state central committee.  These delegates to the state central committee vote on the state party officers, and delegates to the national party committees.  This is how the structure of the political parties is put in place, but few understand these details..  

The Democrats in each congressional districts have a "PAC" controlled by the elected Democrats:

• First District Democratic Party PAC, Lawrence P Daniels, Treasurer 
• Kansas Democratic Second District Committee PAC, Larry Wilson, Treasurer 
• Kansas 3rd Congressional District Democratic Caucus PAC, Barbara Ikerd, Treasurer
• Kansas 4th District Democratic Party Committee PAC, Leroy Lehman, Treasurer 

Why can the Kansas Democratic Party usurp the authority and control of monies raised by their elected party officials in each of the congressional districts?  Why does Kansas Democratic Party treasurer control the finances of all congressional district party committees, so combined with the state party, the Democrats operate a single political $UPERFUND?  

Combined with the "Coordinated Campaign" effort, the Democrats operate more as single entity statewide, than individual and locally-elected party groups.  

The Johnson County Republican Party Central Committee has filed contribution reports at the Johnson County Election Office for years, while the Johnson County Democratic Party Central Committee hasn't filed a report there in over a decade.  No one at the Johnson County Election Office can explain why one party filed reports, but the other party did not.  No one seems to know what rules even apply to the county central committees.  

N/A

N/A

• 1:  Democratic Legislative Victory Fund -- 1st District
• 2:  Democratic Legislative Victory Fund -- 2nd District
• 3:  Democratic Legislative Victory Fund -- 3rd District
• 4:  Democratic Tallgrass Committee -- 4th District
• K:  Kansas Democratic Party
• H:  Kansans for a Democratic House
• S:  Senate Democrats Committee

Each letter shows destination or source of payment depending on context, along with date and amount.

Notes:  

• In addition to $200,000 from the Democratic Governor's Association, The Katheleen Sebelius Blue Stem PAC received $3000 from Pamela Mulling Living Trust, and $15,000 from the Midwest Region Laborers Political League.  All three of these contributors also gave money in the scheme above.  
• Sebelius' Blue Stem PAC gave a total of $32,000 to County Parties in Douglas, Ellis, Johnson, Labette, Reno, Riley, Sedgwick and Shawnee Counties.
• In addition to the $125,000 shown in the diagram above that Kansas Democrats gave Cooper & Secrest for polling, Sebelius' Blue Stem PAC gave another $35,990.
• The NEA Fund for Children and Public Education, Washington, DC, gave $2000 to Kathleen Sebelius on 12/14/2005 and another $2000 on 8/3/2006 according to their IRS 8872 forms filed in 2006.

Not Available -- Link Broken on Ethics web site

• 3/30/2005, Ruffin Companies (Phil Ruffin), Wichita, $500
• 3/30/2005, Kansas NEA PAC, Topeka, $1000
• 3/30/2005, Heavy Constructors, KCMO, $1000
• 3/30/2005, Carpenter's District Council of KC & Vicinity, KCMO, $5000
• 4/5/2006, Kansas NEA PAC, Topeka, $5000
• 4/5/2006, Phill Ruffin, Wichita, $5000
• 4/5/2006, Carpenter's District Council of KC & Vicinity, KCMO, $2000
• 4/5/2006, Deffenbaugh Industries, Shawnee, $2000
• 4/11/2006, Heavy Constructors, KCMO, $3500
• 8/22/2006, Heavy Constructors, KCMO, $1000

Other Notable Contributions:

• 3/30/2005, Women's Health Care Services, Wichita (George Tiller's clinic), $5000
  (note: 12/13/2005, Dr George Tiller, Wichita contributed $5000 to the "other" Senate group, Senate Democrats Committee, on the same date as Ruffin Companies, KNEA, the Carpenter's group,  and the Heavy Constructors, just like on 3/30/2005.  Do these groups often meet on the same dates to make joint contributions?  Also see connection to Democratic Governors' Association.)
• 4/5/2006, George Tiller, Wichita, $5000  (The same groups met on 3/30/2005, 12/13/2005 and 4/5/2006?)

Donations by this PAC, which are similar to Democratic Congressional District Committees:

• 12/2/2005, Sebelius for Governor, $2000
• 3/3/2006, Kansas Democratic Party, $5000
• 8/9/2006, Morrison for Attorney General, $2000
• 8/9/2006, Sebelius for Governor, $2000

QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT '96 CASH FLOW TO DEMOCRATS KANSAS LAW SAYS NATIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES CAN GIVE NO MORE THAN $25,000 IN "SOFT MONEY" TO KANSAS EACH YEAR. BUT A WICHITA EAGLE INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT MORE THAN $300,000 REACHED KANSAS IN 1996 _ MONEY USED FOR COMMERCIALS TO BENEFIT DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR THE U.S. SENATE. MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES ARE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTIONS.

Wichita Eagle, 
September 14, 1997
Dave Ranney, The Wichita Eagle

Dennis Langley, chairman of the Kansas Democratic Party, went to the Democratic National Committee for help. He got it.

More than $300,000 reached the state party in the weeks before the Nov. 5 election - despite a state law that limits such national-party contributions to $25,000 a year.

National-party money appears to have reached the state party's coffers in at least two ways:

The national party donated $5,000 to each of the Democratic parties in 15 Kansas counties. Twelve of these counties sent the state party between $4,250 and $4,750.

The Democratic parties in 17 other states each sent the Kansas party either $14,990 or $15,000 after receiving money from the national party.

Also, 70 Democratic legislative candidates in the state received either $500 or $1,000 contributions from the national party. Five of these candidates say they were told to keep 20 percent of the money and to send 80 percent to the state party.

In each case, the payments appear to at least circumvent state laws designed to limit the national parties' influence in state elections.

All told, almost $315,000 in once-national-party money - more than 121/2 times the $25,000 limit - found its way to the Kansas Democratic Party.

Please send constructive criticism, corrections, or comments to

K a n s a s M e a d o w l a r k @ g m a i l . c o m