Progress Michigan Political Action Fund

Overview

The Progress Michigan Political Action Fund is a Democratic Party-aligned Super PAC in Michigan. It was created in 2014 to support the efforts of Progress Michigan, a 501(c)(4) left-of-center advocacy organization that is affiliated with the ProgressNow network of left-of-center state advocacy organizations. The group has strong connections to left-of-center donor collective Democracy Alliance and labor unions including AFSCME, the National Education Association, and the SEIU. ^{2 3 1} It is also aligned with the 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit Progress Michigan Education, which does business as Engage Michigan and shares staff and office space with Progress Michigan. ^{4 5}

Progress Michigan attempts to move the Democratic Party leftward in Michigan, engaging in what it describes as “uncompromised progressive politics” while attacking Republican Party candidates and officeholders, Republican-led initiatives, and conservative and libertarian organizations. ⁶

One of the Progress Michigan Political Action Fund’s main priorities has been to elect candidates who opposed Michigan’s former right-to-work law that was passed in 2012 and repealed by the state’s new Democratic legislative majority and governor in 2023. ^{7 8} Other policies supported by Progress Michigan Political Action Fund-supported candidates include abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ⁹ making it a crime to store or leave a gun where it could be accessed by a minor, ¹⁰ eliminating Michigan’s Medicaid work requirements, ¹¹ “transgender-friendly” drivers licenses, ¹² and making Election Day a paid holiday. ¹³

The Progress Michigan Political Action Fund is the second PAC created to support Progress Michigan’s efforts. The previous PAC, the Progress Michigan Political Action Committee, was founded in October 2010 and dissolved two months later after receiving $27,500 in contributions from Progress Michigan Action. ¹⁴

Funding

The Progress Michigan Political Action Fund receives a significant amount of funding from its affiliated Progress Michigan Action 501(c)(4) advocacy group, as well as in-kind support in the form of staff hours. ¹⁵

Other supporters include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), ¹⁶ the Sixteen Thirty Fund (1630 Fund), ¹⁷ the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, ¹⁸ EMILY’s List, ¹⁹ the Michigan League of Conservation Voters PAC, Michigan For All, Policy Over Party, Progressive Kick, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, the Michigan State AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), ²⁰ America Votes, ²¹ Justice for All Michigan, ²² and the National Education Association (NEA) Advocacy Fund. ²³ In 2016, the Progress Michigan Political Action Fund reported making $219,706.18 in expenditures. ²⁴

In 2020, the SuperPAC reported receiving $2,137,252.50 in contributions and making $2,133,798.92 in expenditures. ²⁵

Michigan 2022 Elections

The Progress Michigan Political Action Fund reported spending $7,015,054.64 on Michigan’s elections in 2022, more than three times as much as it had in any previous election year. ²⁵ That year, incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) was re-elected and the Democratic Party narrowly retained control of the state legislature, while voters approved left-wing ballot measures promoted by Progress Michigan that created a right to abortion and contraception in the state constitution and loosened voting regulations. ^{26 27} In addition, two nominally non-partisan candidates for the state Supreme Court were both re-elected despite efforts by Progress Michigan and other Democratic Party-aligned activists to defeat Republican-aligned Justice Brian Zahra. ²⁸

Of that $7.02 million, $3.1 million came from State Victory Action, the SuperPAC created and seeded by Democratic mega-donors George Soros, Tom Steyer, and Donald Sussman. ^{1 2 3 1 1} Other major supporters included the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), ¹⁶ the Sixteen Thirty Fund (1630 Fund), ¹⁷ the American Federation of Teachers, and America Votes. ²¹