Want to join Rep. Kevin Kiley’s inner circle? You can — for a few thousand dollars
Rep. Kevin Kiley has promised big donors a chance to join the “Kiley Cabinet,” which allows them access to him and his staff as well as special campaign newsletters and briefings.
Donate the maximum amount allowed to my campaign, the Roseville Republican tells potential donors, and you’ll get all sorts of benefits.
It’s the sort of promise that reformers have complained for years is alienating less-wealthy voters from the political system.
While there’s nothing illegal about offering donors a higher level of access to lawmakers or other benefits, “this is a perfect illustration of the problem that campaign finance laws generally seek to curtail,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
Ghosh was not specifically familiar with the Kiley matter, but said campaign finance laws do aim to curtail “donors having unprecedented access to those they financially support, providing unparalleled influence on policymaking and ultimately assuring that the voices of special interests drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”
Kiley explained the advantages of being a top donor in a March 15, 2023 memo.
The benefits of being a cabinet member include having the campaign’s fundraising director “keep you posted on when I am back in California if you’d like to meet individually,” he said.
Donors can also attend Cabinet “roundtables,” briefings on issues that in one instance featured House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
To join the Kiley Cabinet, a couple has been asked to contribute up to $13,200 during the two year election cycle to the Roseville Republican’s campaign. An individual can donate $6,600. Both are the maximums allowed by the Federal Election Commission.
The Kiley campaign told The Bee that the congressman is one of Congress’ most accessible members. “He meets regularly with his constituents to hear their concerns and ideas and holds numerous town halls throughout the sprawling district,” said David Gilliard, campaign spokesman.
He said Kiley “has a wide and diverse group of supporters who choose to donate their hard-earned money to help make sure he can continue to serve.”
Kiley, a first-term congressman, is running this year against Democrat Jessica Morse. He’s the favorite to win in the Republican-leaning district, which stretches through Plumas, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, Alpine, Mono, and Inyo, and parts of Yuba, El Dorado, and Sacramento counties.
Crispy shrimp and campaign conversation
Kiley offered several benefits to donors in a March 15, 2023 memo. According to a note to supporters from Kiley last year, those joining the “Kiley Cabinet” could get:
“As a way to bring together our closest supporters and stay in touch on a regular basis, I’d like to invite you to be part of the Kiley Cabinet,” he wrote.
He offers invitations to the “quarterly KC Roundtable, which you can join in person or remotely, where we’ll discuss what is happening in Congress.”
Jordan met with the “Kiley Cabinet,” Kiley’s high-donor supporters, on August 29 at La Provence Restaurant in Roseville for a one hour discussion. A half hour photo session and cocktail hour followed. Appetizers included an “elaborate fruit display,” with five different varieties of fruit, “crispy torpedo shrimp” with sweet Asian dipping sauce and chicken cordon bleu croquettes with Dijon lemon aioli.
Kiley is a judiciary committee member. Jordan’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Kiley also pledges invitations to a Signal group, described in the memo as essentially a group text with greater security, “where we can have ongoing discussions.” At fundraisers, the congressman says, the Cabinet members will “be recognized at all fundraisers, and will have first priority when capacity is limited. You can even wear the special pin we’ll send you.”
They’ll get a monthly Kiley Cabinet newsletter. Top campaign and congressional staff usually each get a page to comment on Washington and district events. Among those writing is Robert Holste, Kiley’s congressional chief of staff.
At the end of the memo, the congressman tells donors, “I’m hopeful the Cabinet will be a way to build an even stronger community of supporters that provides not only the financial resources to keep our district Republican, but the friendship, encouragement, and wisdom that have been so important to our success so far.”
He signed it, “Sincerely, Kevin.”
Kiley had $2.2 million on hand in his campaign as of March 31, while Morse had $982,217.
About 17% of his campaign funds have come from donations of less than $200, while 13% have come from political action committees, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign finance. The campaign reports that 89% of his total is from donors who gave less than $100.
Gilliard said Kiley’s small donations have come from “across the district and California from voters who are fed up with the the Biden/Newsom record of soaring inflation, rising crime, high taxes and massive debt.”
Morse, a former deputy secretary working on wildfire resilience at the California Natural Resources Agency, has raised about about 84% of her $1.2 million in campaign funds from contributions were under $100.
