Lansing — Linda D. Appling, a 77-year-old retiree, resides in a humble house with a sign in the front door that instructs visitors to try the side door. The side entrance is missing a storm door and the steps are in need of a shoveling.
Ms. Appling lives with a young man who can’t manage to get his car started this cold morning because the battery is old and a new battery is beyond his means.
Despite these lean circumstances, Ms. Appling is something of a Democratic super donor. According to state and federal campaign filings, Ms. Appling has made 8,738 contributions totaling more than $82,000, a fact that she seems wholly unaware of.
“I don’t think that was me to be truthful about it,” said Ms. Appling as she struggled with the ice in her ill-fitting boots and aluminum cane. “I acknowledge that I’ve given some people about $2.50.”
According to those filings, she has also contributed to the gubernatorial campaign of Jocelyn Benson, the current Michigan secretary of state, even though she hasn’t made up her mind about governor.
“Who do you like for governor?” I asked.
“Well now, I have no idea,” she said.
“No idea just yet?”
“I don’t.”
Nevertheless, I showed Ms. Appling a spreadsheet which noted that she has contributed nine months in a row to Benson. The January pledge was $7 and the subsequent eight donations of $2.50 were all paid on the last day of the month.
Benson crows about her 32,000 small donors, people like Ms. Appling, who have contributed less than $100, allowing her to raise nearly $5 million in her bid for governor.
Benson calls it a grassroots swell. But it appears to be something more nefarious.
A random sample of these so-called “small donors” who have contributed to Benson’s campaigns were examined by Bob Cushman, a retired pilot and current citizen journalist.
Since November 2022, Benson has raised $5.5 million, with nearly half of that money coming from out-of-state donors, according to Cushman’s research. Nearly all of those contributions were $10 or less.
There’s 85-year-old Frank from Maryland who kicked in a total of $100 at six bucks a pop.
There’s 84-year-old Fred from Upstate New York who anted up with six contributions of $6.
How about 82-year-old Marcella of Surprise, Arizona? It’s no surprise Marcella is all in for Jocelyn with 20 donations of $1 a piece.
How is this possible? ActBlue is an online fundraising site designed specifically to raise money for Democrats. People can contribute to candidates through ActBlue or may contribute directly to ActBlue, which in turn donates to Democratic candidates and causes. It has raised $16 billion since its founding in 2004.
But ActBlue is ensnared in multiple federal investigations alleging that it has stolen the identities of small donors—usually senior citizens like Ms. Appling—and is using their names to launder larger donations that exceed legal limits. By breaking the large donations into multiple smaller contributions, the amount and the origin of the money is hidden.
Several senior staff members from ActBlue abruptly resigned earlier this year following the fraud allegations.
Little people like Ms. Appling are called straw donors or smurfs. And Benson—in her capacity as secretary of state—is supposed to protect them. Not use them.
“I’ve donated some money for sure,” said Ms. Appling, the Grandma Smurf of south Lansing, “but not this amount.”
Charlie LeDuff is a reporter educated in public schools. Follow him on X @Charlieleduff.
