St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

Michael Brown for Governor spent the most out of all the political committees based in cities associated with Berrien County during the third quarter of 2021, according to the Michigan Department of State.

The committee paid $6,906 to 26 vendors.

The largest expense was $1,740 paid to Kalamazoo-based Lightsource Media for video.

The second largest political spend from a committee operating in a city within Berrien County during the quarter came from Committee to Elect Pauline Wendzel. It spent $1,721 during the time period on eight different vendors.

What’s known as “dark money,” which comes from political non-profits and shell corporations, has greatly increased expenditures and donations in recent elections to record-breaking highs.

Total political expenditures made by candidates in the 2022 elections amounted to $147 million.

Political campaign financial data is often updated, leading to a sometimes incomplete picture of a committee or candidate's finances.

Committee	Expenditures	Paid Vendors
Michael Brown for Governor	$6,906	26
Committee to Elect Pauline Wendzel	$1,721	8
Forward Together PAC	$1,593	2
Paquette Leadership Fund	$739	4
Committee to Elect Dan Vanden Heede	$600	2
Brad Paquette for State Representation	$335	2