Rick Santorum’s campaign to get Michigan Democrats to vote for him on Tuesday seems to be getting a bit of help from a third party political action committee.
Several TPM readers in Michigan report they have received phone calls that say they are paid for by the Republican political action committee Freedom’s Defense Fund. A woman’s voice asks Democrats to cast ballots for Rick Santorum to send a message to Mitt Romney and Gov. Rick Snyder (R).
Federal Election Commission records confirm that Freedom’s Defense Fund dropped an estimated $20,000 for get-out-the-vote calls on Monday but don’t specify the party of the voters being targeted.
Here’s a recording of the robocall apparently paid for by Freedom’s Defense Fund, sent to TPM by a reader in Michigan:
…and a transcript of the phone phone call:
Attention all Democrats: Gov. Rick Snyder just endorsed Mitt Romney, the same Mitt Romney who said [Romney: ‘let Detroit go bankrupt.’] Mitt Romney doesn’t care about Michigan. This Tuesday is our chance to send Romney and Gov. Snyder a message. So please, go vote on Tuesday for Rick Santorum in the Republican primary. Now voting for Rick Santorum on Tuesday does not mean you’re becoming a Republican. You’ll still be able to vote in the Michigan Democratic Party caucuses and to reelect President Obama in November. This is our chance to send a message to Gov. Rick Snyder and his buddy Mitt Romney, who wants to [Romney: ‘let Detriot go bankrupt.’] Remember: a vote for Rick Santorum is a vote to embarrass Gov. Rick Snyder and Mitt Romney. Vote Santorum on Tuesday.
Freedom’s Defense Fund had sent out a fundraising email asking for support for a get-out-the-vote effort on behalf of Santorum. “Our plan is to spend the next 72 hours calling Michigan voters, identifying Santorum supporters, and getting them out to vote on Election Day,” the email stated. “In a close election, it could be the difference between defeating Mitt Romney and allowing him to be our GOP nominee.”
But the fundraising email didn’t tell possible donors they would be targeting Democrats:
*Goal: Identify 60,000 households in key battleground areas (West Michigan, Macomb County, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula)
*Republican Households in Key Areas: 607,834
*Average Price of Phone Calls: 2.6 cents per call
*First dial: $31,606. Second dial: $63,212.
*Redial IDs Get-Out-The-Vote on Monday night: $1560
* TOTAL: $64,772
Kevin Sawyer, a spokesperson for the public relations firm Ainsley Shea that does work for the Freedom’s Defense Fund, told TPM he could not immediately confirm the content of the robocalls. We’ll update this story if we hear back from them.
