Updated at 11:56 a.m.
At a Statehouse press conference in May, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne spoke out against those who finance their own political campaigns.
“I will personally be adhering to the contribution limits set for an individual Vermonter and will not be self-funding the campaign above those limits,” Dunne said. “And we’re calling on all the other candidates in the race to do the same and abstain from self-funding their campaigns.”
Dunne kept his pledge — for a time. He donated $2,000 to his campaign in March and another $2,000 in July. That’s within the $4,000 limit to which non-candidates must adhere in Vermont. (Candidates themselves are legally allowed to invest as much as they want in their own campaigns.)
But this week, as Dunne’s campaign appeared to crater, he broke his promise. According to filings with the Secretary of State’s Office, the former Google manager made a $50,000 personal loan to his campaign on Tuesday. He made another $45,000 loan on Wednesday.
Remarkably, Dunne continued to jab Democratic rival Peter Galbraith on Thursday for self-financing his campaign.
“Including the money that you put into your own campaign, Peter?” Dunne asked Galbraith during a heated debate on Vermont Public Radio. “How much?”
As of Friday morning, Dunne’s pledge to refrain from self-financing remained on his campaign website.
In a statement to Seven Days, Dunne spokeswoman Jessica Bassett did not address the apparent flip-flop.
“Matt made a bridge loan to the campaign that we expect will be repaid in full based on outstanding commitments and ongoing fundraising,” she said.
Campaigns are free to pay back loans to their candidates, even after a race is over, but they rarely do in Vermont. Typically, candidates will eventually forgive the loan, at which point it is considered a direct donation.
Dunne isn’t the only wealthy tech exec infusing his candidacy with last-minute cash. As Seven Days reported Thursday, Silicon Valley venture capitalist Reid Hoffman bought $220,000 worth of ads backing Dunne’s campaign late this week. Because Hoffman spent the money himself and did not directly contribute to Dunne’s campaign, it is legal for him to spend unlimited sums on such ads.
Two other candidates have also benefited from last-minute, outsider spending. A super PAC largely financed by Washington, D.C.-based EMILY’s List spent at least $120,000 on pro-Minter advertising this week. Another super PAC, funded by two former colleagues of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lisman, spent at least $27,000 supporting his candidacy.
After learning of Dunne’s self-funding Friday morning, Galbraith reacted with colorful language.
“Can you believe that fucker?” the former ambassador said, emphasizing that he was on the record. “Matt Dunne really doesn’t have the integrity to be the governor of Vermont. Imagine: Having self-funded in violation of his own campaign pledge, he then attacks me for having self-funded.”
Galbraith added, “Matt Dunne — he just has a hard time with the truth.”
Minter’s campaign responded in a more measured manner.
“This is another instance of Matt Dunne saying one thing while doing another on key progressive issues like gun safety, the environment and campaign finance reform,” her campaign manager, Molly Ritner, said in a statement. “Matt claims to be the progressive choice but, in my experience, progressives stand by their word even during a tough fight. Sue Minter is the candidate Vermonters can trust.”
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Really disappointed in this piece by Mr. Heintz. Clearly shows his bias. The headline draws the reader to believe Mr. Dunne is braking a promise when in fact he is making a bridge loan while money promised to his campaign comes in. Why don’t you ask his campaign manger for details before writing this negative piece? Very sensational to use words such as “crater” implying going south and then to emphasize more negatives on his campaign, thank you Mr. Galbraith for the colorful language, and touching briefly at the end of the piece on Ms. Minter and Mr. Lisman’s out of state donations this past week. Nice job.
Hardly Fair Game don’t you think?
I originally supported Matt Dunne as a White River Junction resident. However, having heard him talk a couple times now and spoken to him after events I will be looking at other options. Matt doesn’t like to be questioned (seems silly to run for political office if you don’t want to answer to constituents). At two different local events, he also talked about how he knew people and how he would use his contacts in and out of state to improve Vermont. To me, this sounds like Dunne is openly bragging about favoring people he knows for state contracts. I wish Seven Days would report on how Dunne plans to bring in all his tech friends but still have a fair RFP process.
Peter Galbraith clearly is not qualified to be governor himself
I’m no clairvoyant, but I think I see…I see…I see…that this is the end for Dunne’s campaign. Honesty and leading by example seem to be lacking. If he can’t make it through the primary without keeping his own word, how can we expect to trust him if he were Governor?
All five serious candidates for governor are millionaires according to their previous financial disclosure forms.
The simple fact is that our campaign finance system makes it hard for anyone without means to get elected — if you can’t pony up your own money, or don’t run in wealthy circles of friends who can fund your campaign, you’re in trouble.
This is just one symptom of that reality.
Dunne shifts in the wind. Just plain dishonest. Do whatever I need to do to win. Say whatever I need to say. Doesn’t matter what I said before.
Sounds a lot like . . . the incumbent Gov?
Of course, remember when Minter claimed that she had always supported Bernie, when she actually hadn’t?
Both of these dishonest, wind-shifting politicians are now being supported by hundreds of thousand of dollars each in out of state cash. Disgusting.
They’re both dishonest. Don’t vote for either of them.
Abba says it best:
“I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay
Ain’t it sad
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me
That’s too bad
In my dreams I have a plan
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn’t have to work at all, I’d fool around and have a ball…
Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man’s world.
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world
Aha-ahaaa
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It’s a rich man’s world.”
Paul has been incredibly fair with his coverage. If you don’t feel that way, you are most likely being blinded by your own bias. Also, with the addition of Terri and their work on this particular election, Seven Days has quickly become the most reliable source for political coverage in the state.
Hey Paul,
Thank you for holding a candidate for the top office in the state accountable to their own campaign promises instead of taking them at their word or just publishing their campaign press releases (yes, this happens with some news sources). Please keep it up even when it doesn’t always benefit the candidate I had previously supported; I would rather know before they get into office and, ideally, before I cast my vote in an important three-way primary.
Hey Paul – Do you have some personal issue with Matt Dunne? Just curious since your coverage of Dunne has been so….negative…always…
Just saying that the optics of your writing seem to harp on the negative and the horse race instead of the issues like energy, healthcare, and childcare. You do a great disservice to our civil discourse. While this issue is important, your jabs are just immature and lack the impartiality that we expect from real journalists; which makes me question your motives. You are simply not on the same playfield as your colleague Terri or VPR’s Pete Hirschfield.