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.

(BOSTON)—Proposed legislation making Massachusetts a sanctuary state is deeply unpopular with voters, according to a recent poll. Data also revealed a deep distrust amongst voters toward state senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), co-sponsor of the bill. 

"Senator Gobi's constituents aren’t buying her argument that the state should remove local control from cities and towns," Paul Craney said. Craney is a member of the board of directors at the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, the non-profit advocacy and education group which commissioned the poll. "Senator Gobi has been in office since 2001, yet her favorability doesn't break 50 percent. What we see here is a Senator out of step with her district."

Surveyed were 300 voters in the Worcester, Hamden, Hampshire, and Middlesex state senate district, each of whom had voted in the 2014 election. The poll was conducted from in early October by nationally-recognized data specialist Advantage, Inc. 

Nearly half of people surveyed, 47 percent, said Gobi's support of the Sanctuary State legislation would make them less likely to vote for Gobi's re-election in 2018.  

About half were aware of Gobi’s support for the bill previous to the surveyor's call. Seven percent believed she did not support it, and 43 percent were unsure of her position. 

The numbers are consistent with other statewide polls, showing strong popularity for Governor Charlie Baker. 76 percent view the Governor as very or somewhat favorable.

A copy of the poll can be found here. The crosstabs information could be found here. 

Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance advocates for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability in state government and increased economic opportunity for the people of our Commonwealth.

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The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, the state's largest public advocacy group, today announced its newest venture. The Fiscal Alliance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) group aimed at building a stronger culture of accountability, transparency, and fiscal responsibility in Massachusetts government.

The Foundation's dual mission supports providing education for young people and supporting grassroots reform through the courts. 

Already, MassFiscal has made an impact with the Fiscal Fellows internship program. Too often, talented students who are inclined toward fiscally responsible reform leave Massachusetts for Washington D.C. to find employment in policy and politics. MassFiscal and the Fiscal Alliance Foundation provide local jobs with engaging and challenging work in the field. The entry-level jobs are primarily educational and have the added benefit of building a farm team of fiscally-interested professionals in the Commonwealth. 
 
The Foundation will also partner with outside groups in bringing legal action against the state to improve equity.  In its advocacy work, MassFiscal has encountered too many instances in which state law works against basic civil rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of association. In Massachusetts, the political playing field simply isn't level.

The Foundation’s first public effort will be a partnership with the business community to challenge the constitutionality of Prop. 80. The lawsuit was filed today in the Supreme Judicial Court. Hearings on the case are expected to be held early next year. Prop. 80 would amend the state Constitution to allow graduated income taxes and increase taxes on the state’s highest earners by 80%. Prop. 80 is an unconstitutional bailout for Beacon Hill politicians to spend more of our tax dollars on things like pay raises and pet pork projects.

The Foundation made an initial contribution of $20,000 toward the legal challenge to Prop. 80. You may read the Globe story about the lawsuit here. More to come…