Always Follow the Money: PHILPAC?

Quite often elected officials start up their own PACs, with the intent of re-directing money to other candidates or the political party that they are connected to. One new Political Action Committee is PHILPAC, which is a PAC created by State Rep. Phil Skaggs. Skaggs is a former Kent County Commissioner and former staffer for David LaGrand, when LaGrand held a state seat. While he was Kent County Commissioner, Skaggs referred to the immigrant led group Movimiento Cosecha’s protests demanding Kent County to end their contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as Bolshevik cos-play. 

According the most recent state campaign finance records, PHILPAC had raised $23,550.00. As far as contributions to PHILPAC, there were 15 separate contributions in this quarter of campaign finances. Here is a list of those 15 contributors from the largest to the smallest: 

• Realtors PAC 1 $1,450 
• Delta Dental PAC $1,250
• Health PAC $1,250
• Blue Cross Blue Shield PAC $1,000
• DTE PAC $1,000
• Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles & Campgrounds PAC $1,000
• Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters PAC $1,000
• Muchmore Harrington Smalley & Associates $750
• Michigan State TROOPERS PAC $500
• Henry Ford Health PAC $500
• Auto Dealers of Michigan PAC $450
• Michigan Association of Counties PAC $300
• Centene Corporation PAC $250
• American Federation of Teachers PAC $200
• Justice PAC $200

As you can see, of the 15 different contributions, 12 of them came from Business/Corporate PACs, two from organized labor (carpenters and teachers) and one from a government PAC. I don’t include the Troopers PAC as labor, since cops are a whole other kind of political animal. Thus, it would seem that the newly formed PHILPAC, by State Representative Phil Skaggs, relies heavily on corporate money, Realtors, the for profit health industry and lawyers. Politicians and candidates who will be taking this money, will no doubt be beholden to the interests of their paymasters.