Fact-checking Marc Boldt

Let’s round out the week of campaign silliness with a kick-off email from Marc Boldt.

Boldt, the incumbent who lost the commissioner race to Councilor David Madore during the 2012 election, faces against his old opponent and Councilor Tom Mielke in this year’s county council chair race. All three are Republicans.

It couldn’t be clearer that Boldt’s campaign will be all about proving he’s different from those guys. To that end, there is a point in his campaign letter that has local conservative bloggers—including Boldt’s brother-in-law, Kelly Hinton—reeling.

As we saw in the election two years ago, these guys have piles of money behind them. I may not have piles of money, but I do have something even more valuable: YOU. With your support, I can win this seat and work with our community to get the county back on track. I’m ready to fight, and I’m ready to win. But I can’t do it without you.

I don’t think there’s any question that Councilor David Madore, successful founder of US Digital, has “piles of money” behind him. Madore raised $331,897.08 during the 2012 campaign, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Of that, $314,267.41 was his own money.

Mielke, meanwhile, raised $24,878.72. His opponent, Democrat Joe Tanner, raised $240,127.82—nearly ten times as much money, according to the PDC. Mielke clearly had something more than dollar signs going for him in 2012, so I don’t know if Boldt’s implication that both Mielke and Madore bought their elections is exactly fair or accurate.

Sure sounds nice in a political mailer, though.

Here’s the full mailer from Marc/Mark Boldt, if you’re curious.