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Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow has been crushing Republican challenger Pete Hoekstra in fundraising. She’s also come under attack to a far greater degree than her opponent.

In a last-minute effort to sway voters toward Hoekstra, the conservative super PAC Hardworking Americans Committee formed this fall specifically for his benefit. Last week, the group, whose treasurer is a former Michigan Republican Party official, made a $1 million TV buy for a 30-second ad discrediting Stabenow to run for at least a week and spent another $30,000 buying time yesterday.

The first ad claims she failed to pay property taxes on her residence in Washington, D.C.; The Detroit News reports she had to pay about $1,200 in penalties between 2005 and 2007.

Stabenow’s campaign explained the penalties away as since-corrected errors and said she always has paid her taxes in full. The ad also accuses Stabenow of raising taxes 21 times, closing with the argument that she’s “failing to pay her taxes while she’s raising yours.”

The Hardworking Americans Committee has not yet disclosed its donors and will not be forced to do so until a month after Election Day.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, outside groups have spent about $267,000 on positive ads supporting Stabenow, while Hoekstra has had less than $90,000 spent in his favor. Neither candidate had seen significant negative outside spending until Hardworking Americans launched its ads. With the recent buy, the Hardworking Americans Committee has been the biggest outside spender in the Michigan Senate race, with the super PAC Prosperity for Michigan the runner-up at about $645,000.

SUPER PAC TO LAUNCH VOTER FRAUD APP: Since supporting former Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich became a bust months ago, his super PAC, Winning Our Future, has been forced to find new ways to participate in politics.

In addition to releasing an anti-Barack Obama ad last week, the organization is behind a smartphone app called VoteStand, Politico reports. According to Gregg Phillips, a Winning Our Future official, the app was released late this week and is available to voters as a free app.

Phillips told Politico that VoteStand will allow subscribers to send photos or videos of what could be recognized as illegal voting or illegal electioneering with geographic data to experts, who could not only investigate the issue but also possibly respond to it in a reasonable amount of time. He also noted that the app is not meant to benefit either Republicans or Democrats, but rather the democratic process as a whole.

“People will have somewhere to turn if they see voter fraud or something that is not quite right in their eyes,” Phillips said. “We think this will help us leave a positive legacy this election cycle, rather than just putting up a bunch of ads.”

TRUMPED: Whether it’s utilizing their fame to promote a cause or donating thousands of dollars to campaigns and committees, many celebrities are doing their part to influence Tuesday’s election. The Center for Responsive Politics tracks contributions from celebrities, and the top 12 list has some new faces as of late.

Business high-roller Donald Trump recently made the list with his contributions reaching about $178,000 with 56 percent of it going to conservative super PACs. He joins entertainment executives Vince and Linda McMahon — she’s also a candidate for Connecticut Senate — as the only conservative celebrity donors in the top 12.

Other newcomers to the top dozen are Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who have donated more than $133,000 combined, 100 percent of it benefiting Democrats. In both October 2011 and October 2012, the pair each contributed $30,800 to the Democratic National Committee for a total of $123,200 this election cycle.

In the presidential race, celebrities heavily favor Barack Obama over challenger Mitt Romney, receiving more than $700,000 compared to Romney’s $46,500.

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Image: Donald Trump via Flickr user Gage Skidmore.



For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected]

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