The 907 Initiative has been operating as a campaign attack group since it formed up 2022 as “watchdog” group. It went after Republican candidates from Day 1. It started with $341,000 in funds, the source of which the group keeps a secret on its IRS filing. It’s a secret organization, with secret donors.
But when election time comes around, the 907 Initiative, which is a “nonpolitical” 501(c)(3), turns off the light switch in order to meet Alaska campaign laws, and it emerges as “907 Action,” an 501(c)(4) actual campaign group that is regulated by the Alaska Public Offices Commission. It’s a switch the nonprofit can do 60 days before the actual election.
In a required filing with APOC, 907 Action, which is carrying on the work of the 907 Initiative, says it has only gotten a $1,000 donation from one person — Democrat activist Eleanor Andrews, the group’s vice president.
But 907 Action reports $10,000 in debt. That debt it is equally divided on behalf of four Democrat candidates in the Anchorage municipal race; Suzanne LaFrance for Mayor, and Carl Jacobs, Pat Higgins, and Dora Wilson for school board.
Where’s the money coming from that will pay for the debt?
The 907 Action group has indebted itself by $10,000 to a campaign group in Washington state, Fuse Washington, which aligns with the radical left.
Fuse Washington’s executive director, Aaron Ostrom, is on the board of directors for ProgressNow, the same group that claims 907 Initiative as an affiliate.
In fact, Fuse Washington is also an affiliate of Progress Now.
That 907 Action is in debt to a fellow affiliate of ProgressNow means the debt will likely never be paid, because Fuse Washington will just go to the mothership, ProgressNow, to keep afloat. The money will be fungible.
This is a model that has worked successfully in other Democrat races in Alaska in recent years, with independent expenditure groups incurring debts that are never called in.
907 Initiative/Action consortium is run by experienced Alaska Democrat operatives, including Debra Call, president; Eleanor Andrews, vice president; Sydney Scout (Renewable Energy Project Alaska — REAP), and the group’s executive director Aubrey Wieber, formerly a political reporter at the Anchorage Daily News.
The 907 Initiative/Action tax filing with the IRS for 2022 can be seen here:
The only expenditure description for 907 Initiative in 2022 was “Legal & Professional services, $62595,” and “Advertising & marketing $74494.” These were expenditures for attack ads against Republicans in the 2022 election cycle up until the 60-day zone, when a 501(c)(3) isn’t allowed to engage in election politics.
Who is ProgressNow, the parent company of 907 Initiative?
“Since 2003, ProgressNow has been developing our network of state partner organizations to fill a unique and critical role in the progressive infrastructure of key states,” Progress Now states on its website.
“ProgressNow is a year-round, never-ending progressive campaign. Political campaigns are relatively short-lived; they come and they go, leaving little behind of lasting value. ProgressNow’s presence in our states never ends. There are hundreds of local and state issues that we can organize and communicate effectively literally year-round. Day in and day out, we’re working in our states to counter the right-wing and create a perpetual issue advocacy culture,” the group says.
ProgressNow was founded by Michael Huttner, who is described as a New York attorney and political entrepreneur. Huttner campaigned for Barack Obama for president and later co-wrote the book “60 Ways You Can Help Obama Change America.”
Funders of ProgressNow include the SixteenThirty Fund, a dark-money group active in Alaska and other states. That fund gets is money from another dark-money group, Arabella Advisers.
“The Atlantic, a left-leaning magazine, has called the Sixteen Thirty Fund ‘the indisputable heavyweight of Democratic dark money’ which funneled ‘roughly $61 million of effectively untraceable money to progressive causes,’ making it the ‘second-largest super-PAC donor in 2020.’ Of Arabella Advisors, the Atlantic noted that the ‘mothership’ company runs a ‘massive progressive dark-money group you’ve never heard of.’ It added: ‘Democrats have quietly pulled ahead of Republicans in untraceable political spending. One group helped make it happen,’ reported InfluenceWatch.org.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund is just one arm of the Arabella political octopus. Others include the Hopewell Fund, and New Venture Fund, and dozens of other groups just like Bristol Bay Action, with local-sounding names.
“A single, cryptically named entity that has served as a clearinghouse of undisclosed cash for the left, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, received mystery donations as large as $50 million and disseminated grants to more than 200 groups, while spending a total of $410 million in 2020 — more than the Democratic National Committee itself,” The New York Times reported in January.
Other donors to ProgressNow include, according to InfluenceWatch.org:
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) (Labor Union)
- Democracy Alliance (DA) (Other Group)
- National Education Association (NEA) (Labor Union)
- NEO Philanthropy (Non-profit)
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) (Labor Union)
- Sixteen Thirty Fund (1630 Fund) (Non-profit)
- Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation (Non-profit)
- Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) (Non-profit)
As of 2021, the last tax return available for ProgressNow at the IRS, the group gives out grants to its affiliates in amounts that are typically between $25,000 and $50,000.
Oh LaFrance, imagine that. Sprayed graffiti on any of your opponents signs lately?
Way past time to stop this insidious money flow into local elections. Another State just made it unlawful for Zuckerbucks to play in their election. Get on top of this Governor Dunleavy. While your involved in this project, election should involve in-person voting with an ID, hand counts and no tabulators. How many times must we demand this?
Cute.
How different is this from other money coming out of DC?
It’s time for campgian finance reform.
Good. Let them go in debt for their Democrat voters who are so broke they can’t even fund their own local candidates on their own.
It’s not real debt, it’s just an accounting manipulation.
All of these people are working to destroy the United States. Every city or state where they are in power is going to Hell. They are pro crime, pro open borders, pro drug, and pro tax and spend. Every person supported by this illegal dark money should be tossed out.
As a tax accountant I have reviewed the 990 and have the following observations: Functional expenses equal exactly $160,000? They are cash basis , yet have accounts payable? Part V 1a states they sent 6 1099’s to contractors. Who and what amounts were paid? 100% of the functional expenses are to management and general, none to program services expenses? This should disqualify them as a non profit. Audited financial statements cost a fortune to obtain. They are a 501 (c) 4, not a 501 (c) 3. They did not use a paid preparer to prepare the 990, yet they paid a CPA firm to audit the books? I think the IRS needs to take a good look at this “non-profit” , but we all know they won’t.
Ever see a socialist spend their own money. The FTX scam as caused a slight delay of low laying fruit.
I hope the USA can hold out long enough for sore oh’s to not witness his life long ambition. He just gobbled up 220 radio stations.
We must fully fund the low-performing public school system and refuse to support high performance charter schools! We must ensure Alaska’s public school graduates are barely literate with zero critical thinking skills. We must devise and implement elaborate financial and organizational schemes to influence people to vote for our new world order socialist candidates. The people must be so devoid of intellect and socially engineered toward particular views such that they are in fact influenced. …And the circle is completed.
Very well if depressingly stated, GM.
You fail to mention the many students that graduate with accepted test scores and some go onto college. Many coming out of the bush. But that wouldn’t support your narrative.
Hey Greg, just wondering here, do you think it’s possible to send one rural kid through school K-12 and have it cost less than 925,000 bucks for his tuition? I won’t even speculate about the quality of education or whether the kid can even read. No judgement Greg, just asking because it sure seems like kids were better educated before we spent that kind of money.
We are trying to control people that make up their own rules, and us as armchair coaches are not mad enough to really do anything about it, other than complain. The people that make the laws are making laws to help themselves on both sides.
the people can’t come together and stop this BS that our government has turned into. Not a calling but a get rich scheme. We need term limits. but they have shut that door. They need to be government employees getting cola, not rases or lobby money.
We need to supply all candidates with so many signs, and so much airtime and public debate that is only supplied by our local and federal government, all the same amounts to each. No donations, no outside money. that makes us venerable. to the rich.
I hear about them trading with inside info and getting wind falls. That should come with a jail term.
As far as the subject at hand “sorry for the rambling” They can’t become the guy InCharge unless you get big and bad, and to do that you need to exploit every angle. And that is all they are doing.
It takes the people voting, to stop this type of crap.
I vote in person every time, if it is not important enough to do, well that says it all. I’m glad I’m this old and I don’t want to be here in 20 more years, I think America is dyeing by cancer, and I don’t want to be here when she falls. Thank you for your time
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