Progressive Dark Money Being Used To End Corporate Political Donations

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/01/2026) Progressive-minded advocacy groups are using mostly unreported “dark money” to fuel their ballot proposal to stop utilities and government contractors from spending money on politics, according to finance reports released this week.

Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (MMOP) reported to the Bureau of Elections that nearly 90% of their contributions ($2,295,180 of $2,555,244) came from mostly out-of-state 501(c)4s that are not required to disclose their contributions.

Massachusetts-based All Hands On Deck Network ($900,000), New York-based Working Families Organization Inc ($250,000), the Massachusetts-based Pro-Democracy Campaign ($100,000), the Washington, D.C.-based Green Advocacy Project ($100,000) and a few other groups worked with Michigan United Action, which also doesn't disclose its funders, to fuel MMOP.

The late money comes as MMOP -- led primarily by environmental interests and social advocacy groups — attempts to gather the 356,958 signatures needed by May 27 to get its citizens initiative on the November ballot.

Their goal is to prevent DTE, Consumers Energy and any entity that has a state contract of $250,000 or more from spending money on a political candidate or political cause.

The use of “dark money” didn't go unnoticed by the Michigan Forward Network, the shadow Michigan Republican Party group, which called out MMOP for hypocrisy – that it's using dark money to get rid of alleged dark money.

“The MMOP ballot initiative is a dirty trick from top to bottom,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “A coalition of leftist dark money organizations is trying to buy its way onto the ballot while pretending to oppose money in politics. It has never been about fairness – it’s about rewriting the rules to favor their progressive allies. Michiganders should decline to sign.”

Butzke also said the Democratic allies, like organized labor, would be shielded by the new rules MMOP is trying to put in place.

MMOP also received money from around 200 individual contributions. Their point is that corporations are flooding the political seas with money to make more money to the determent of working people.

DTE, Consumers, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T and Delta Dental this year have given to 60% of all state legislators. MMOP sees a “pay-to-play system” that it believes is behind lawmakers turning a blind eye to $500 million in rate increases.

“We know corporate money is breaking Michigan’s political system; that is why we are trying to fix it. Michiganders overwhelmingly agree that our government should work for the people, not powerful corporations," said Sean McBrearty, Michiganders for Money Out of Politics Steering Committee Co-Chair.

The anti-MMOP effort called Protect MI Free Speech reported $90,000 in contributions for the first quarter from Comcast, Delta Dental, Citizens for Better Health, Michigan Manufacturers Association, the Michigan Infrastructure Transportation Association (MITA) and Waste Management.

All told, they've raised 5% of what MMOP has raised, but MMOP is also paying for circulators.