Spooky season has arrived for the 2024 election.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) accepted donations from a deceased supporter, the Federal Election Commission. Submitted documents show.
Tester, whose polls show him trailing Republican opponent Tim Sheehy in a race that Democrats see as key to maintaining their Senate majority, was joined by Bozeman resident Barbara McGowan. received two $50 donations in the third quarter, even though both donations were designated posthumously on July 17th. .
Two receipts from that day and September 20th ominously list McGowan's employer and occupation as “Dead as of July 17th.”
Obituary In a caption posted online, the 83-year-old woman described McGowan as a “force of nature”.
The Montana Senate contest is one of the most expensive this cycle, with a reported $265 million already spent on advertising alone.
Republicans are strongly favored to control the Senate next year, and with the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), the seat will almost certainly fall into Republican hands.
A poll of Montana voters conducted by The New York Times and Siena College found Mr. Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, led Mr. Tester, a dirt farmer, by 8 points (52% to 44%), leading Donald Trump to the poll of Montana voters. Former President Trump led Vice President Kamala Harris by 17 percentage points. percentage points within the state (56%-39%).
An equal share of Montanans (22%) think the economy and immigration are the most important issues in this election, and Tester is further removed from the front-runners, first with President Biden and then with Harris. are forced to put
Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, including four independents who caucus.
The donations from beyond the grave come as Republicans accuse Democrats of profiting from fraudulent donations on online fundraising giant ActBlue.
On Tuesday, former Herman Cain chief of staff Mark Bullock filed an extortion lawsuit against the platform, accusing it of stealing his identity to make 385 donations to left-wing causes, including Harris' presidential PAC.
Bullock, a longtime Republican strategist, claims $884.38 was donated in his name between May and October without his knowledge, and that the donations were shared by tens of thousands of others without his knowledge. He suggested it could be part of a scam to trap donors.
Two Republican-led House committees are investigating other “potentially fraudulent” ActBlue donations that may have generated Treasury Department suspicious activity reports (SARs).
Representatives for Tester's camp did not respond to requests for comment.
