No incumbent state lawmaker is facing more opposition from outside interest groups this primary than Democratic Sen. Jean Berkey of Everett.
As of this morning, $129,909 had been spent against her and another $63,255 spent on behalf of the Democrat they hope will unseat her, Nick Harper.
She’s targeted by the state’s largest labor unions and one of its largest network of political progressives as I reported here and here
The unions are writing checks to the independent political committee, Stand Up For Citizens, and in some instances, paying for stuff on their own.
They’ve paid for seven mailers, a 30-second television commercial, phone banks and door-to-door canvassers. It’s certainly not over.
Berkey has yet to receive a dollar of support from any outside political committee. She isn’t getting much help from her party either.
Skimming the state Public Disclosure Commission web site this morning, I see she’s received $35.60 of in-kind contribution from the political arm of the Senate Democratic Caucus and about $575 worth from the state Democratic Party.
The incumbent started fighting back late last week. She sent out a mailer blasting the outside interests and trying to tie them to Harper. She included his phone number with a suggestion they call him and ask him to make them stop.
If it was meant to upset Harper, it didn’t. But it might have indirectly helped him.
He told me Friday that about 30 people had called him after receiving the mailer. He sounded like those conversations went pretty well and he might have won a few of them over.
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