McKee packs in corporate dark money

Drugs, Wal-Mart, charter school industry bankroll McKee’s campaign

McKee continues to receive big money from out-of-state investors

In UpriseRI.com

Campaign finance reports filed Tuesday, August 21 with the Rhode Island Board of Elections reveal that incumbent Lieutenant Governor Dan McKee is set to receive $25,000 in Super PAC spending from Wall Street Investor Andrew Boas.

This is in addition to an earlier filing showing Wall Street millionaire Anthony Davis contributed $50,000.

This raises questions about how much additional corporate dark money will be come into the state to support McKee, says Rhode Island State Representative Aaron Regunberg, who is challenging McKee in the September 12 Democratic Primary.

“Like in 2014, Dan McKee’s Wall Street friends are pouring dark money into Rhode Island to advance their agendas,” said Regunberg.

“It is not surprising that Wall Street millionaires Anthony Davis and Andrew Boas are funneling hedge fund profits into my opponent’s campaign.

“Dan McKee has a history of accepting support from out-of-town millionaires and billionaires, then siding with those corporate interests over the working people of Rhode Island.

“I’m proud to run a campaign that doesn’t take money from Wall Street or corporate PACs – because unlike Dan McKee, we’re fighting for the people, not the wealthy few.”

These Wall Street contributions were made to 50CAN Action Fund PAC, a Washington DC-based entity that funnels massive contributions from individuals into states, circumventing campaign finance limits in Rhode Island.

The contributions from Boas and Davis reinforce a history of corporate backing for McKee who in 2014 received nearly $150,000 in support from Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, and Jonathan Sackler, director of Purdue Pharma, the makers of Oxycontin.

Here’s the Anthony Davis expenditure report.

Here’s the Andrew Boas expenditure report.