Washington Post: Hogan raising ‘dark’ money to boost his agenda, stop costly education plan

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is reprising his role as a grass-roots agitator, asking top supporters to raise at least $2 million for a lobbying and public relations campaign that would herald his Republican agenda and try to rouse opposition to Democratic priorities.

A fundraising memo obtained by The Washington Post emphasized that Hogan’s new super PAC and a related nonprofit organization “can accept unlimited donations.” The campaign will target a costly plan embraced by the Democratic-majority legislature to address inequity in public schools and deep disparities in student achievement, among other things.

Campaign finance watchdogs said the governor’s solicitation illustrates a troubling trend that has escalated over the past decade, as public officeholders find methods to raise unlimited amounts of money — some from undisclosed donors — in ways often prohibited for traditional candidate committees.

The second of six fundraisers listed in the memo took place in Annapolis earlier this month, with donors asked to give as much as $10,000 apiece.

“People who want access and influence over a public official are going to open their wallets and write a check. And they don’t really care” into which account “the elected official is depositing that check,” said Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at the nonprofit Common Cause, a government watchdog group. “The law is not up to date in most places with this practice.” …

The effort has drawn concerns from critics, such as Ryan, who note that people who want to curry favor with the governor could donate unlimited sums with limited public transparency.