More dark money flows to Michigan ballot groups

Michigan group seeking to require the disclosure of dark money ads gets financial boost from dark money organizations
Dark money groups also helping fund opposition to a Michigan constitutional convention
New disclosure reports also show fundraising for legislative caucuses and a super PAC supporting John James for governor

LANSING — Dark money is flowing to Michigan ballot campaigns, Republicans are stockpiling cash for legislative races and a super PAC is spending big on John James for governor, according to new disclosure reports reviewed by Bridge Michigan.

Candidates did not have to file campaign finance reports on Monday — they last did so in December and won’t have to again until late July, leaving the public in the dark about their finances until 11 days before the primary.

But here’s what we learned from filings by ballot groups, legislative caucuses and other political action committees.

Dark money for political giving proposal

Michiganders for Money out of Politics, a group that seeks to ban Michigan utilities and state contractors from engaging in political spending and require disclosure of dark money ads, has raised close to $2.2 million in 2026.

The group’s biggest donors in the latest reporting period were dark money nonprofits that are not required to publicly disclose their own donors.

Those donations included: $250,000 from Working Families Organization, Inc. of New York, $200,000 from All Hands on Deck Network, Inc. of Massachusetts, $100,000 from Movement Voter Project in Massachusetts, $100,000 from Green Advocacy Project of Washington DC and $100,000 from the Pro-Democracy Campaign of Massachusetts.

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Several of those groups are known for spending on left-leaning political causes, and many are considered “clearinghouse” organizations that allow donors to give anonymously to causes of their choice.

More local dark money organizations — political advocacy nonprofits such as Clean Water Action, Detroit Action and Michigan United Action — also made six-figure donations to the ballot committee.

Groups such as Voters Not Politicians and Rank MI Vote, which put its own effort on hiatus, have also worked with the group to make the ballot and helped fundraise and gather signatures for the effort.

Michiganders for Money Out of Politics needs to gather just over 356,000 valid signatures by late May to put its initiated legislation on the ballot.

The industry-funded opposition group to the ballot initiative, Protect MI Free Speech, reported raising $90,000 during the period, almost exclusively from major corporations or groups representing them, such as Comcast, Delta Dental, and a PAC representing Waste Management employees.

Protect MI Free Speech, which contends the ballot initiative would restrict the political speech by affected companies, also received $20,000 from a dark money group called Michigan Citizens for Better Health, which has links to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.

Con-con opposition

The first question on the November ballot is already set: Should Michigan convene a constitutional convention for the purposes of rewriting the state’s foundational document?

Some version of that question automatically goes before voters every 16 years.

A remarkably diverse set of interests from across the political spectrum have already arrayed themselves against the ballot initiative. They’ve formed an opposition committee called Protect MI Constitution From Special Interests — though many coalition members are special interests themselves.

On Monday, they reported raising $560,000 so far this year from just two sources: The Global Impact Social Welfare Fund and The Fairness Project. Both are left-leaning dark money groups.

The Fairness Project has backed constitutional ballot measures in Michigan’s past, such as the abortion access amendment that voters approved in 2022 but could potentially be undone in a constitutional rewrite.

Another group vying for the ballot, Americans for Citizen Voting, had not filed a disclosure report by Monday evening. The committee has already filed more than 750,000 petition signatures for a potential ballot proposal that would require verification of citizenship for all voters and tighten voter ID rules.

Legislative GOP PACs outpace Dems

All 148 seats in the Michigan Legislature will be up for grabs this fall, and legislative caucus PACs will be hugely influential.

They can receive contributions of up to $48,875 — more than ten times what individuals can give candidates — and they can directly spend to help get those candidates elected after the primaries.

The latest filings show the two Republican caucuses have a significant, $5.5 million cash advantage heading into May as they seek to retain the state House and flip the state Senate.

But it’s unclear how much that may matter in the full scope of the election.

Democrats have historically leaned on a dark money source — a party account exempt from reporting requirements — to fund much of their election-season advertising. In 2024’s state House elections, the party spent nearly $13 million from the account on commercials.

Senate caucus PACs have also been spending significantly in an upcoming election to fill the long-vacant 35th District seat. There, Democrat Chedrick Greene reported receiving more than $600,000 in assistance from the Michigan Senate Democratic Fund, while Republican Jason Tunney reported $58,000 from the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

John James super PAC

A super PAC supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate John James reported raising about $328,000 but spending nearly $1.6 million in the latest reporting period that ended April 20.

The Mission Michigan PAC previously received the backing of some of Michigan’s largest Republican donors, including the DeVos family. In the latest reporting period, it added $100,000 donations from three individuals: David Fischer, owner of The Suburban Collection car dealerships; Hani Kassab, a marijuana entrepreneur, and manufacturer Gregg Williams.

The Super PAC had about $3.6 million in the bank at the close of the filing period, but that total is dwarfed by the more than $10 million businessman Perry Johnson has spent of his own wealth on his campaign.

See how much the gubernatorial campaigns had reported raising through the end of 2025 here.