National Right to Work Committee funneled over $25K to state Senate candidates in 2014
Using an elaborate network of political action committees, the National Right to Work Committee (NRTWC) funneled over $25,000 in out-of-state campaign contributions to five New Hampshire senatorial candidates in an apparent attempt to shift the balance of power in favor of right-to-work legislation.
NRTWC, a leader in the national anti-union movement, describes its mission as an “all-out fight to stop Big Labor’s radical agenda.” They write, “It is absolutely vital we stop Big Labor exploiting this time of crisis to crush our freedoms and our fragile economy!”
The group funded four Granite State senatorial candidates who were attempting to oust incumbent Democrats: Kevin Avard (R-Nashua), Mark Evans (R-Berlin), George Lambert (R-Litchfield) and Kathleen Lauer-Rago (R-Franklin). The fifth candidate, Jane Cormier (R-Hookset), was running in a primary against Sen. David Boutin (R-Hookset) who had opposed right-to-work legislation.
Two New Hampshire-registered PACs, chaired by NRTWC vice presidents, raised $22,400 in small donations from a national network of contributors for the 2014 election cycle.
The National Right to Work Committee PAC, managed by NRTWC vice president Matt Leen, raised and distributed $14,000 to three New Hampshire PACs: NH Worker Freedom PAC ($5000), NH Conservative Alliance PAC ($4500) and NH Constitutional Leadership PAC ($4500).
The second NRTWC PAC, State Employee Rights Campaign Committee, is run by NRTWC vice-president Greg Mourad and raised $8350 in small, out-of-state donations. It disbursed the funds directly to the five senatorial candidates and to two state committees, NH Worker Freedom PAC ($1300) and Granite State Values ($1000).
NH Worker Freedom PAC, which received $6300 from the two NRTWC PACs, is chaired by John Kalb, the NRTWC Director of State Legislation. (McKayne Boedeker, the New Hampshire-based executive director for New England Citizens for Right to Work, is the treasurer for all three NRTWC committees.) The committee made $1000 donations to Avard and Cormier during their contested primaries and to Lambert in the general election.
NH Conservative Alliance PAC and NH Constitutional Leadership PAC each received $4500 contributions from the NRTWC PAC, which represented 100% of the funds each PAC raised. NH Conservative Alliance PAC is managed by Cormier and conservative activist Susan Olsen. NH Constitutional Leadership PAC is run by former Rep. Emily Sandblade (R-Manchester) and Rep. JR Hoell (R-Dunbarton). Both committees donated $1000 to Avard, Evans, Lambert and Lauer-Rago.
Granite State Values PAC received $1000 from the State Employee Rights Campaign Committee (while also raising $3000 from the National Pro Life Alliance PAC.) It donated $1000 to Avard, Evans and Lambert and $750 to Lauer-Rago. Granite State Values PAC is managed by state senate candidate JP Marzullo (R-Deering) and U.S. Senate candidate Karen Testerman.
On the same day the four senate candidates received donations from the various committees, Avard, Evans and Lauer-Rago also received $1000 donations from Reed Larson, who led NRTWC for 45 years. (Lambert’s final report is missing from the Secretary of State’s website.)
Four of the five candidates supported by NRTWC went down to defeat. The resulting lack of veto-proof majorities in both chambers likely guarantees right-to-work legislation will now suffer the same fate.