MNGOP not effective enough, major donor not giving this year

Schadenfreude Friday!!

Bob Cummins is unhappy. And because Cummins is unhappy, Minnesota Republicans are unhappy. And because Cummins is unhappy, DFLers should be happy.

Bob Cummins is a major Republican donor. He's unhappy because the Republicans at the legislature couldn't put his pet project on the ballot as a constitutional amendment.

Bob Cummins, who has donated more than $3.5 million to Minnesota Republican causes, is telling allies he has had it with Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature and will not give their campaigns any cash this year, according to multiple sources.

Cummins, CEO of Plymouth-based Primera Technology, is reportedly frustrated over legislators' failure to approve a "right-to-work" constitutional amendment that would limit union power. At least 21 states have such restrictions.

A pillar of GOP financing in years past, Cummins' support could be especially critical for Republicans, who have seen contributions drop off as their money troubles mount.

I wonder if that is Cummins' sole reason.

As I detailed yesterday, the MNGOP is deeply in debt and it appears they are not paying their employees.

The MNGOP's fundraising has been anemic since at least the summer of 2010. Major donors weren't happy with Tom Emmer as their candidate. Furthermore, because of the MNGOP's irresponsible spending under Chair Tony Sutton and Associate Chair Michael Brodkorb, they have little reason to trust that their donations will be put to good use.

The question is how many other donors will follow Cummins lead?

When you add the ongoing (never-ending) Michael Brodkorb-Amy Koch sex scandal into the picture, 2012 looks quite grim for the MNGOP.