Robocalls hit Democratic primary for Gov.

LANSING — It didn’t take long for the uncertainty of who was running for the Democratic nomination for governor to dissolve into dirty tricks. At least three apparently illegal robocalls were made to voters in the state, two attacking Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero’s relationship with labor, and one praising House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Township) as a leader on education.

Labor endorsements are seen as a key money maker for Democrats — so much so that former Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee dropped out of the race for governor last week, worrying that he would split the labor pool. That announcement came as rumors swirled that the UAW was poised to endorse Bernero.

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Michigan Messenger was able to get numbers for two of the calls. One number, (202) 534-3126, according to a records search, was owned by a group called Info Voter in Washington D.C. The only group we could find by the name Info Voter is actually located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Ken Smuckler, president of that company, told Michigan Messenger in a phone interview that his business is not making the calls.

“That’s not us, and if it is, I’d like to know because I would like the money,” he said, joking.

He said it’s easy to input any number into a caller I.D. program to show an erroneous source for a call.

Todd Cook, a Democratic Political consultant with Mainstreet Partners, says there is nothing illegal about the calls in the state of Michigan. “They are not regulated under Michigan Campaign Finance Laws. In some states groups have to report them, but not here,” he said. He noted it is unlikely it will ever be known who paid for the calls.

But Wikipedia reports that under federal law “all calls, irrespective of whether they are political in nature, must do two things to be considered legal. The federal law requires all telephone calls using pre-recorded messages to identify who is initiating the calls and include a telephone number or address whereby the initiator can be reached.” Factcheck.org confirms that fact.

None of the calls included any identification of who had paid for the calls, nor did they include a phone number or address where that person or organization could be reached.

There are several possibilities as to who might be funding the calls. The most obvious suspect is Andy Dillon, since one of the calls praises his record and the other two attack his primary opponent, Virg Bernero. The second is that Republicans might be funding the calls — but that raises a question of why would they praise Dillon, a Democrat they may well face in the general election?

A third possibility is that some actor not directly related to either the Bernero or the Dillon campaign is involved; in fact, it’s likely that if either the Dillon campaign or a Republican campaign is involved, they would have tried to hide their connections to the group that actually paid for the ads as much as possible.

It’s also possible that there is no connection between the ads at all and that one group is initiating the anti-Bernero calls while another group is initiating the pro-Dillon calls. Until we can identify who is making the calls and who paid for them, there is really no way of knowing which of these possibilities is true.

Calls to Dillon spokesman Ken Coleman seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Doug Pratt, spokesman for the Michigan Education Association, says his group has received calls asking if the union was behind the calls. “It most definitely is not (the MEA),” he tells Michigan Messenger.

Two anonymous calls attacked Bernero on his history with organized labor.

The first robocall, which came from (202) 534-3126, says the mayor is trying to “steal” union leaders support for his run for governor, and that he is “bad for labor’:

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Here is the transcript of that call:

“Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero is parading around with union leaders trying to steal their endorsement for his run for governor. Lansing union leaders — the ones who know Bernero best — know he’s no friend of labor. Bernero tried to ax city union jobs and had an unfair labor complaint filed against Lansing by the Teamsters. He even said he had concerns about the city’s prevailing wage ordinance. Call UAW president Ron Gettelfinger at (313) 926-5000 and tell him not to fall for Bernero’s stunt. Bernero is bad for labor.”

In the second call, for which the originating phone number could not be identified, has a similar message:

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“This is an urgent message. Democratic bosses are trying to force union leaders to endorse Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero for governor. And Bernero is deceiving them into thinking he supports us. But truth is labor supported his opponents in his state senate and mayoral campaigns. The local Teamsters called him a “bully” and the IBEW said he is no friend of organized labor. We need a leader who supports our union brothers and sisters. Call UAW president Ron Gettelfinger at (313) 926-5000 and tell him we’re counting on him to protect Michigan workers and not sell out to Bernero.”

In a statement on the calls, Bernero campaign spokesman Jamaine Dickens said, “Virg is being attacked because he is clearly the most able voice for Michigan’s struggling working families. Our campaign is gaining support and momentum. No one would be playing these petty political games and trying to confuse the facts, if he weren’t an effective a leader for the average working family against the greed of the rich and well connected.”

While voters were getting an earful about Bernero and labor, they were also hearing the notes of sweet praise for Dillon on education:

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“Hi! This is a special message for Michigan families. Our teachers need a strong advocate for education. Speaker Andy Dillon fits that bill. He has a strong record of supporting our teachers and our children. In the House he supported legislation that would lower class sizes and and make sure our schools are fixed. He also supported putting limits on charter schools and supported funding for the Michigan Promise Scholarship. Education is a priority for Andy Dillon. That’s why Andy Dillon is a leader Michigan needs.”

This is not the first time robocalls have been an issue this primary season. Michigan Messenger reported on robocalls made by Republican consultant and operative Joe Munem attacking GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder earlier this year.