Ron Kind, who’s already a top target for Republicans in 2022, returned a $5,000 donation last month from the PAC of fellow Dem U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The La Crosse Dem’s latest filing with the FEC shows the donation from Courage to Change was received on March 30 and returned the next day. The New York Dem has become a lightning rod for GOP groups.
Politico reported last month that some members received unexpected donations from the progressive leader after DCCC aides gave lawmakers’ wire transfer information to her aides without the approval of senior officials. The contributions were a way for Ocasio-Cortez, a prolific fundraiser, to support House colleagues without giving to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She has frequently clashed with the committee.
The PAC donations are seen as potentially problematic for targeted Dems as Republicans seek to nationalize House races and tie moderate House members to the most progressive wing of the party. During the 2020 campaign, for example, the NRCC knocked Kind for voting with Ocasio-Cortez and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., 90 percent of the time.
Kind’s campaign declined comment, and Courage to Change didn’t immediately respond to an email from WisPolitics.com.
State GOP Chair Andrew Hitt, meanwhile, said with Kind voting more than 90 percent of the time with Ocasio-Cortez, it was no surprise she’d try to get him re-elected.
“No matter how hard Ron Kind scrambles to try and cover up his far-left record, money talks — and it shows that Ron Kind no longer works for the people of western Wisconsin,” Hitt said.
During the first quarter, Kind raised $223,341 according to his FEC filing.
That haul is in line with the $220,666 that Kind raised during the first quarter of 2019 as he entered that two-year cycle as a GOP target.
Kind, though, had a nearly $2.5 million warchest in early 2019. Today, he reported having nearly $1.1 million in the bank at the end of March.
Kind also spent $44,188 during the period.
FEC reports for the first quarter are due by the end of today.
See Kind’s report:
https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/884/202104159443392884/202104159443392884.pdf
