Cross-posted from
MN Campaign Report - and this one is worth your attention so you can see the screen capture of the report cited below....
More details are emerging in the continuing story of push polling in the West Metro. I've obtained a full account of the contents of such a call from a recipient in Melissa Hortman's House district (47A):
- Greetings and brief explanation
- Are you voting for Tim Pawlenty, Mike Hatch, or Peter Hutchinson?
- Are you voting for Melissa Hortman or Andrew Reinhardt?
- Would you be more or less likely to vote for Melissa Hortmann if you knew she supports an increase in the gas tax?
This is a classic push-poll question. The call's recipient asked for the source or sponsor of the call. The caller responded "the Minnesota House." Upon further questioning, there was a delay after which the caller identified their employer as Strategic Fundraising. Although the firm is located in Oakdale, MN, the caller was located in one of the firm's call centers in Wisconsin.
"The Minnesota House" is a curious sponsor for this type of activity. It is doubtful that the Minnesota House of Representatives would sponsor any such political activity. However, the House Republican Campaign Committee's pre-primary financial report filed with the Campaign Finance Board does show disbursements to Strategic Fundraising totalling more than $80,000 from January through August of this year (pp. 100-101). The final payment listed in the report, dated August 10th, is also the largest, at $16,346.93.
According to information on Strategic Fundraising's website, the firm counts a majority of state parties, the Republican National Committee, the NRCC, and the National Rifle Association among its clients. A call to an account executive at Strategic Fundraising went unanswered.