Mass Dems Fundraising Scandal?

Blogger FrankSkeffington at Blue Mass. Group breaks the story.

*snip* By contributing to Brown on the last day of 2005, the Hawaii, Maine and Massachusetts Democratic parties seem to have unwittingly waded into the hotly contested Rhode Island Senate primary between Brown and former state Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (D). Federal Election Commission records show that two of the three state parties donated $10,000 each — $5,000 for the primary and $5,000 for the general — to Brown on Dec. 31, 2005....

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democratic Party explained that the party had intended to send $5,000 to each of the Rhode Island candidates, but that the separate general election and primary checks ended up only going to Brown.

The party has since asked Brown to refund $5,000 and the Massachusetts Democrats plan to, in turn, donate that amount to Whitehouse’s campaign. Brown’s campaign has mailed the refund and party spokeswoman Cyndi Roy said that the Bay State Party "should be receiving it any day."

Roy also said that she was not aware that the party had donated to any other Senate candidates this cycle and that the state party had been approached specifically about this race by a Brown campaign staffer who the party had worked with before. "We realize that this is a huge race," Roy said. "It’s one of the best shots that we have at reclaiming a Senate seat. It was intended for both campaigns." ... *snip*

I can't tell you how many times I've heard at meetings I go to that we Dems here in Mass. "feed the candidates and starve the Party" and that is the reason given why Mass Dems is such a shoe-string organization.

Mass Dems is so strapped for funds they couldn't afford to mail out the Call to Convention, at least we didn't get one here in Townsend. We downloaded the pdf off the Mass Dems website.

And yet... they are giving $10K to an out-of-state candidate(s). So where'd they get the money?

I'm sure that fundraiser they held last May called:
"The 2005 Massachusetts Democratic Platform Convention" was very helpful.

Sheesh.

Me thinks Chairman Johnston has some 'splainin' to do.