Montana voters are once again being forced to confront the realization that the biggest political battles in our state are increasingly funded by people we cannot identify.
A recent investigative article examining independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar traced millions of dollars through a maze of nonprofits, PACs, consultants, polling firms, and political organizations. Whether one agrees with every conclusion in the article is almost beside the point. The larger issue is ‘Dark Money’, which moves and exists bigly in Big Sky Country.
And much of the public has no idea where it originally came from.
The article documents a network involving organizations such as Contours, Western Futures Fund, Global Impact Social Welfare Fund, Progressive Vet PAC, Montana Freedom PAC, and Way Back PAC. Some of these groups reportedly spent millions influencing Montana’s Senate race while operating several layers removed from the original donors. [THE DARK-M…ETH BODNAR], [nrsc.org]
By the way, looking at the political/ideological leanings of the organizations pouring money into Bodnars campaign should leave no doubt that Bodnar is not really an Independent. He’s a Democrat trying to hide his true colors behind a phony label because he thinks Montanans are too dumb to spot a political shell game.
Supporters of these organizations argue that such activity is lawful and protected political speech, while critics argue that legality is not the same thing as transparency. Both points can be true.
So, the question is, can Montana voters make informed decisions when political messages arrive with only partial disclosure of who is paying for them? You know the answer.
To be fair, for years, Republicans have accused Democrats of benefiting from dark money while Democrats made the same accusation against Republicans. Meanwhile, spending from outside organizations continued to grow. The result is a political arms race in which both sides condemn the practice while often benefiting from it. [opensecrets.org], [usafacts.org]
In Montana, we like to believe that a candidate can still shake hands at a county fair, drive across the state in a pickup truck, and earn support face-to-face. Yet modern campaigns increasingly resemble national investment projects. Outside groups identify races, conduct polling, fund advertising, and shape narratives long before many local voters know what is happening.
This breeds corruption and oodles of public distrust, because when voters cannot identify who is financing political campaigns, they begin to suspect that everyone is owned by someone. Confidence in elections and institutions weakens, and eventually confidence in democracy itself weakens.
When voters cannot identify who is financing political campaigns, they begin to suspect, with good cause, that everyone is owned by someone. That’s why dark money matters, even if every dollar is legal, every filing is technically compliant and no laws are broken.
The issue is whether or not citizens can clearly see who is attempting to influence them. The Seth Bodnar controversy should serve as a wake-up call rather than a partisan weapon. If anonymous money flowing through multiple organizations can shape a Senate race in Montana, then the system deserves scrutiny regardless of which candidate benefits.
And until voters can easily follow the money from the original donor to the final political advertisement, dark money will remain one of the biggest threats to public trust in our state’s political system.