Paul Feeney (Left) and Jacob Ventura (Right)

In a close election, direct donations to candidates may be a big factor.

Democrat union boss Paul Feeney won last night's very close state senate special election. He raised approximately $136,849, of which $101,054 came from unions. Of the $101,054, about $44,999 came from the union loophole. The union loophole allows unions, including out of state unions, to give above the individual limit of $1,000, while employers are prohibited from giving anything at all. For every dollar Feeney raised, 74% of it was from a union. 33% was from the union loophole. Several out of state unions gave through the union loophole.

Republican Jacob Ventura is a former legislative aide, which prohibited him from asking for donations. State law mandates that former state workers cannot ask for political donations. Jacob could not ask for donations, while Feeney could ask for $15,000 from the unions.

There is no single more lopsided and unfair campaign finance law in the country than Massachusetts’ own union loophole.

MassFiscal is supporting a lawsuit that is awaiting a hearing at the state Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). The lawsuit is being proposed by two businesses owned by board members Rick Green and Mike Kane. If successful, the lawsuit will close the union loophole. Unfortunately for the voters last night, the court did not take our case quick enough to prevent this tainted election from happening. We hope we can get in front of the SJC as soon as possible to prevent any further fraudulent elections. More information on the lawsuit may be found here.