© 2025 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The wintry weather is impacting our towers and therefore our signals. Port Huron listeners: WRSX is currently down. Flint listeners: Our transmitter at WFUM will be at low power on Thursday for tower maintenance. You may experience issues with our signal. We thank your for your patience. For more ways to listen, click here.

Mailers, radio ads, robocalls: How dark money groups tried to influence 5 GOP primary races

Courtesy of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network
Mauger said these anonymous attacks tend to come right before elections, which leaves the targeted candidates without an opportunity to respond.

It looks like dark money groups were hard at work trying to influence your vote during last week’s primary – particularly targeting Republicans running for the State House.

Craig Mauger heads up the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

“This was an effort, a well-orchestrated effort, to keep extremely conservative candidates out of the House GOP caucus,” Mauger told us.

He sat down with us today to talk about what role these secret donors play, and why they’re so hard to identify.

GUEST Craig Mauger is executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. He tweets @CraigDMauger.

(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)

Stateside is produced daily by a dedicated group of producers and production assistants. Listen daily, on-air, at 3 and 8 p.m., or subscribe to the daily podcast wherever you like to listen.