Funding sources for Tucson’s “rightward drift”?

by David Safier

Rhonda Bodfield has a front page article in today's Star about Tucson's possible shift toward the right. It may be happening, I don't know. Or it may be a highly mobilized and organized extreme right wing minority that's making lots of noise. We'll learn more about that in the next election cycle.

Meanwhile, here's my question, and I don't know the answer. Has the visible right wing movement in Tucson bubbled up from a groundswell of philosophical and political support, or is it a well funded campaign, the best "grass roots movement" money can plant?

The article lists some recent Tucson-based right wing groups: the Arizona Policy Institute, the Tucson First campaign and, of course, the very visible local Tea Party movement. Maybe someone knows something about the funding of these groups. I would love to know more.

Here's an example of a well funded organization having a over-sized influence on the dialogue in the state. It's the right wing organization I love to spotlight, the Goldwater Institute. 

The left doesn't have a state organization to counterbalance G.I. for one simple reason: the left lacks the deep pockets the right has in abundance. It takes lots of money to create the kind of on message, carefully organized noise G.I. generates on an almost daily basis. 

I looked up G.I.'s tax returns on the web (all non profit 990 tax forms are public records). The most recent I found was G.I.'s 2007 return. (Anyone wanting to dig further can go through 990s dating back to 2002.)

Here are some of Goldwater Institute's 2007 financial highlights. Remember, these figures are a few years old. I imagine they're all higher now.

Total Revenue: $3,460,951

Top 6 Salaries:

• Darcy Olsen, President: $180,000
• Matthew Ladner, VP Research: $141,031
• Clint Bolick, Dir Constitutional Govt: $126,875
• Jess Yescalis, Development Director: $96,000
• Kathi Bobbe, Director of Finance: $76,000
• Starlee Rhoades, Director of Communications: $73,000

Some of G.I.'s Expenses:

• Compensation of Officers: $180,000
• Salaries and Wages of Employees: $809,692
• Contract Labor: $188,630
• Printing and Publications: $155,054
• Lecture Series Expenses: $166,520
• Dues and Subscriptions: $24,870

There's lots more on the tax form, but these are the highlights. That kind of money buys a whole lot of exposure.

So, do the new Southern Arizona right wing groups have funders with deep pockets to give them the media impact that led to Bodfield's article? Do they make use of well funded national networks that amplify their local impact?

Whether or not money talks, it sure can buy a lot of megaphones.

UPDATE: In case you're interested where some of G.I.'s money comes from, a reader sent me G.I.'s 2006 Annual Report which lists sponsors "At the Senator level and above." (On today's G.I. Contribute page, you have to give at least $1,000 to be a "Senator member." Just so you know, people who give $100,000 or more are "Visionaries.")

The list is more than 125 sponsors long. You can see it by clicking on the link below. (Interestingly, G.I.'s 2007 and 2008 annual reports don't include sponsor lists.)

The list of Goldwater Institute's 2006 "Senator and higher" sponsors.

Alliance for School Choice
Jeanne Archer
Barry and Mandy Asmus
John and Christine Augustine
William Aust
Ron Barness
Barbara Barrett
Gay and Ron Baukol
Bob and Margaret Beardsley
Melanie Beauchamp
Brett and Kate Bishov
Pete Bolton
The Lynde and Harry
Bradley Foundation
Andrew and Pamela Brinkman
John and Martha Bryan

David and Joan Buchanan
Lyle P. Campbell
Wil Cardon
Challenge Foundation
Challenge School, Inc.
Chase Foundation of Virginia
Mike and Evy Chipman
Bill and Margaret Clark
Jim and Vicki Click
Sam Cowley
Garland and Carolyn Cox
Kenny and B.J. Dahlberg
The Daniels Fund
John Dawson
Tim and Sandi Day
DCI Group
Patrick and Sara Dial
Jack Dillard
Graham Dorland

Clarence Duncan
Eaton Family Foundation
Karl and Stevie Eller
Dick Erath
Excellent Education for Everyone
Ross Farnsworth
Becky Fenger
Fight Night
Justin Firestone
Jeff and Cheryl Flake
Fleischer Foundation
Budd and Laurie Florkiewicz
Bill Franke
The Lynn and Foster Friess
Family Foundation
Sam and Rita Garvin
Geddes and Company
George and Dyan Getz
Gleason Foundation

Herbert Goldberg
Neal Goldman and Marlene Mieske
Greenberg Traurig, LLT
Bob and Joanne Hannay
Robert and Marie Hansen
Foundation
Jon Held
Jerry Hirsch
Hirshman Foundation
Bob and Karen Hobbs
Adriana Holy and Alan Gordon
Home Builders Association
of Central Arizona
David and Carolyn Hubbard
Len Huck
J. C. Huizenga
William Huizingh
Ethelmae Humphreys
Tom and Marilyn Husband
Mike Ingram
Bruce Jacobs
Larry and Joan Jarnagin
JELD-WEN Foundation
John A. Jenkins

John Jennings
Bob and Pattie Johnston
Judy Joseph and Stephen Fry
Michael Kasser
Michael and Dawn Kennedy
Ken and Randy Kendrick
The Kern Family Foundation
Guy and Mary Kezirian
Anne L. Kleindienst
Dennis and Margot Knight
Charles G. Koch Charitable
Foundation
Dick Kossmann
Richard C. Kraemer
Mike and Jane Kunde
Frank Labriola
Michael and Sharon Lechter
Robert A. Levy
Richard Lochridge
Jack and Lynn Londen
Mac and Sandra Magruder Jr.
Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.
Norman McClelland
Jack and Isabelle McVaugh

Louise Menk
Andrew and Marcia Meyer
Chris and Abbie Milisci
Lisa and Alfredo Molina
Dorothy Donnelley Moller
C. P. and Margaret Montgomery
Jan and Jeffrey Moorad
Francis Najafi
National Federation
of Independent Business
Todd Nelson
John Norton
Allan Norville
Bill and Sada O’Brien
Daniel and Dana O’Connor
Gerry Ohrstrom
Gerald Olson
Christine and Lute Olson
Herb Owens
Sameer Parekh
Dr. Thomas and Jeanne Patterson
W. Bradford Perkinson
Ruth and Lovett Peters Foundation
Earl and Pat Petznick Sr.

Pierce Farms, Inc., Las Vegas Ranch
Kenneth Pinckard
Platt Photography
Bill and Linda Pope
Donald and Dorothy Povejsil
Randy Pullen
Dan and Marilyn Quayle
Dr. H. Rafi zadeh
Fred and Karen Reams
Manson and Jane Reedal
John and Graceann Reese
Dean Riesen
David and Irene Roberts
Ed and Michelle Robson
The Rodney Fund
Roe Foundation
Jason and Jordan Rose
Chris Rufer
Charles F. and Jennifer E. Sands
Terry Sarvas
R. Evan Scharf
Reid and Linda Schindler
Jim and Patty Simmons
Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer

Gerry Smedinghoff
Southwest Gas
Scott Spangler
SRP
Jeffrey D. Steier, MD, and
Elizabeth Steier
Frank and Linda Surdakowski
Terence Thomas
Fred and Mary Tucker
Jon and Tammy Underwood
Carly Van Dox
Warne Family Trust
Norma Zimdahl