Always Follow the Money: Campaign contributions from the Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan

Over the next week or so, GRIID will be posting articles about campaign financing, since the most recent deadline for filing was October 25. Most of the campaign contributions are for the 2024 Elections, but it is never too early to think about which organizations and which members of the Capitalist Class are seeking to influence both the outcome of the 2024 Elections and public policy that will be proposed by those elected.

Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan

With all of the new housing bill proposals, the Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan is contributing a sizable amount of money for the 2024 Election.

The Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan lists 181 separate political contributions, based on the data from the Michigan Secretary of State’s Campaign Finances portal. 

Some of the largest contributions are as follows:

• Senate Republican Campaign Committee $22,875
• House Republican Campaign Committee $22,875
• Building Bridges PAC (Gov. Whitmer) $10,000
• National Realtors PAC $9,645
• Michigan House Democratic Fund $7,373
• Michigan Senate Democratic Fund $6,875
• Greater Regional Alliance of Realtor $5,006
• Committee to Elect Joe Tate $5,000
• Jackson Area Association of Realtors $4,531
• Matt Hall for State Representative $2,500
• Michigan Association of Realtors $2,100
• Nesbitt Majority Fund 2 $1,500
• Friends of Justin Fischer $1,500
• Committee to Elect Joe Tate $1,500

You can see from this list that it is fairly bi-partisan, which is how corporate PACs often operate. Corporate PACs contribute to both parties, which is a way of covering all bases, so that no matter who is elected, they will have greater access to politicians and greater influence over public policy. 

When it comes to campaign contributions for candidates/incumbents that are in West Michigan, here is a list from the data:

• Kristian Grant Leadership Fund $1,000
• Huizenga for Michigan Leadership Fund $1,000
• Winnie Brinks Victory Fund $1,000
• Carol Glanville for State Rep. $550
• Committee to Elected Rick Outman $500
• Phil Skaggs PAC $200

In this case, Huizenga and Outman are the Republicans, and Grant, Brinks, Glanville and Skaggs are all Democrats. 

Housing policies will be a hot topic for years to come, especially considering how expensive housing is, but also because the housing sector does not want anything more than market based proposals and solutions for future housing development. While there might be some mild differences between the Republicans and Democrats, it is clear that both major political parties in Michigan fundamentally embrace market-based solutions to the current housing crisis. Market based housing solutions will automatically mean that thousands of families across Michigan will be priced out of the housing market.