Thread by @christackettnow

Spending too much time wading around in the Runoff reports and I noticed something that struck me as odd. It has to do with Empower Texans and donations to Jonathan Stickland. #txlege

If you look at Stickland's filings from the past year, SemiJul17 and SemiJan18, he has taken in $299k. None of it has come from Empower. Lots of it from the usual Empower donors, but none from the mothership.

Stickland hasn't had to file since the SemiJan, as he didn't have a opponent in the primary, but others have. In the latest Runoff reports, Empower reports they have given Stickland $38k, with $20k on 02/28/18 and $18k on 03/29/18

The donations themselves struck me as odd, when you see who else Empower gave to on the Runoff report:
McNutt (Runoff)
Paxton (Repay a loan)
Spitzer (RO)
Beebe (RO)
Lawson (RO)
Metzger (RO)
Wolfskill (RO)
Boersma (Repay a loan)
Biedermann (before Primary)
& Stickland

Why is Empower giving Stickland money on 02/28 and again on 03/29 when he doesn't have a primary opponent? When he doesn't have a loan to repay? When he isn't in a runoff? It didn't fit the model.

I think the answer comes back to the spider maps I did earlier in the week.

https://twitter.com/christackettnow/status/996597333012951040

Stickland has been petty much a laundry for the dollars coming in from various Empower donors, pushing it back out to their candidates. Why not just give directly to these candidates? Why do you need Stick?

I think it comes back to why do these donors all need to give to three or four or five different PACs and then all give directly to the candidates. It's to create the illusion of broad support. The propaganda machine.

Let's get back to Stickland and illustrate my point. Stick got $20k on 02/28. Looking at candidate reports, the Stickland campaign gave in kind contributions to:
Lang 2/20 $4,435
Spitzer 2/22 $4,275
Slaton 2/22 $5,754
Beebe 2/22 $3,827
Total is $18,291
#txlege

Stickland also got $18k from Empower Texans on 03/29. Looking at candidate reports, the Stickland campaign gave in kind contributions to:
Metzger 03/31 $4,322
Lawson 04/07 $7,305
Wolfskill 04/14 $6,757
Total is $18,385
#txlege

Those totals look awfully close. Close enough that it made me think it was all coordinated. Maybe a "pay you back" on the first one, and a "pay it forward" on the second one? In any case, it made my spidey sense tingle, so I thought I'd share.