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Hey #Indiana, campaign finances are boring, but they tell a story - let's take a look at @DrWoodyMyers' 2nd quarter campaign contributions!
Thread:
Thread:
Customary note: This thread will be looking at Myers' Q2 2020 contributions. I did threads on @GovHolcomb's contributions and expenditures that I will link to at the bottom of this thread. Let's get into it!
The first story to tell is about "small" donations - in this case, single contributions $500 or less. Let's compare Myers and Holcomb in this category in Q2.
A significantly higher portion of Myers' total dollars raised came from "small" donations - 17% vs. Holcomb's <1%.
A significantly higher portion of Myers' total dollars raised came from "small" donations - 17% vs. Holcomb's <1%.
Note, I put small in quotations because for a lot of people, $500 is not a small amount of money, myself included. But given the large sums that make up the majority of these contributions, I decided to make the cutoff there. I welcome criticism on that decision. Moving on!
The second story to tell can be summed up like this: Woody Myers is a multi-millionaire, and it shows.
~$98,000 (35%) of Myers' total raised in Q2 came in the form of loans from himself. In 2020, Myers has raised ~$693,000, of which $270,600 came from loans from himself (39%).
~$98,000 (35%) of Myers' total raised in Q2 came in the form of loans from himself. In 2020, Myers has raised ~$693,000, of which $270,600 came from loans from himself (39%).
A few of the largest contributions to Myers are outside of Q2 - one in Q1 and one on 7/15/20, both from Mary Bookwalter, totaling $100,000.
Bookwalter appears to be a long time environmental activist and advocate in Indiana.
Bookwalter appears to be a long time environmental activist and advocate in Indiana.
The largest contribution to actually come in Q2 was from Ina Coleman ($25,000).
Coleman is a consultant focused on improving gender equity, inclusion, and diversity at Sirenia Partners, an LA org that I can find very little information on.
Coleman is a consultant focused on improving gender equity, inclusion, and diversity at Sirenia Partners, an LA org that I can find very little information on.
The second largest contribution came from Louise Phanstiel ($10,000).
Phanstiel is chair of the board of Myriad Genetics, the company at the heart of the US Supreme Court case which ruled patents on human genes to be illegal. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/supreme-court-myriad-genetics-synthetic-dna-patentable-isolated-genes-are-not/2015-09
Phanstiel is chair of the board of Myriad Genetics, the company at the heart of the US Supreme Court case which ruled patents on human genes to be illegal. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/supreme-court-myriad-genetics-synthetic-dna-patentable-isolated-genes-are-not/2015-09
In total, Reed Tuckson contributed $9,000 in Q2.
Tuckson is a director at Tuckson Health Connections & board member for AcademyHealth. He was previously an executive VP at UnitedHealth - the parent company of Optum, the company failing to provide adequate COVID-19 testing in IN.
Tuckson is a director at Tuckson Health Connections & board member for AcademyHealth. He was previously an executive VP at UnitedHealth - the parent company of Optum, the company failing to provide adequate COVID-19 testing in IN.
Bill Delaney - $5,000
Delaney is the former CEO of Sysco - while at the helm, the company was fined $19.4 million by the state of California for unsafe and illegal storage of food. He is currently on the board of directors of health insurance giant Cigna. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/sysco-fined-millions-for-storing-seafood-milk-and-raw-meat-in-unrefrigerated-sheds-2/2074798/
Delaney is the former CEO of Sysco - while at the helm, the company was fined $19.4 million by the state of California for unsafe and illegal storage of food. He is currently on the board of directors of health insurance giant Cigna. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/sysco-fined-millions-for-storing-seafood-milk-and-raw-meat-in-unrefrigerated-sheds-2/2074798/
Michael Holmes - $5,000
Holmes is a former executive VP at Express Scripts, founder of Rx Outreach, and current board member of BJC Healthcare and Enterprise Financial Services, a financial services holding company.
Holmes is a former executive VP at Express Scripts, founder of Rx Outreach, and current board member of BJC Healthcare and Enterprise Financial Services, a financial services holding company.
Sam Odle - $5,000
Odle is the former CEO of IU Health and currently a senior policy advisor at Bose* Public Affairs Group.
*Boy howdy do a lot of Bose employees contribute a lot to political campaigns!
Odle is the former CEO of IU Health and currently a senior policy advisor at Bose* Public Affairs Group.
*Boy howdy do a lot of Bose employees contribute a lot to political campaigns!
A few quick hits to end:
-Justin Bayless ($4,000) - CEO of Bayless Integrated Healthcare
-Robert McDonald ($2,800) - Founder and president of Aledo Consulting and former higher-up at BCBS
-JB Pritzker ($2,800) - venture capitalist Gov. of IL
-Justin Bayless ($4,000) - CEO of Bayless Integrated Healthcare
-Robert McDonald ($2,800) - Founder and president of Aledo Consulting and former higher-up at BCBS
-JB Pritzker ($2,800) - venture capitalist Gov. of IL
My takeaway from this? It's complicated. Here are the quick ones:
1. Myers differs from Holcomb in that the majority of his large donors are individuals you can easily learn about, that's good.
2. Myers is financing a large part of his campaign himself, that's bad (imo).
1. Myers differs from Holcomb in that the majority of his large donors are individuals you can easily learn about, that's good.
2. Myers is financing a large part of his campaign himself, that's bad (imo).
At the end of the day, I believe Myers is an incredibly smart guy & has a history of leading large organizations. Those orgs are troubling though - venture capitalist firms & the healthcare industry. It's hard for me to get excited about a multi-millionaire with that kind of past
It's difficult, impossible really, for me to trust someone so deeply tied to the for-profit healthcare industry. Same goes for his venture capitalist work. I trust him more than Holcomb, but with a lot of salt. If he wins, we must hold him accountable and push him further left.
I will go more in-depth on those feelings on Friday's episode of @HoosDaddy (psst you can listen below!). Links to the Holcomb threads below as well! https://hoosierdaddypod.com/
Holcomb's Q2 2020 contributions: https://twitter.com/splitthisadam/status/1283802358133202946
Holcomb's Q2 2020 expenditures: https://twitter.com/splitthisadam/status/1284596008995958784
