Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Kevin Strouse received large out-of-state donations from people who have never given money to campaigns outside their home states or admitted to not even knowing Strouse. At the same time, Strouse’s parents gave matching donations to candidates in those states. When asked about the unusual donation, one of the donors blatantly admitted, “I don’t even know the dude.” Today’s Inquirer editorial raises a lot of questions for Strouse’s campaign:
This political PTA wouldn’t be as troubling if the donors were avid, longtime supporters of Democrats nationwide. But several of those involved showed no prior financial interest in politics. Some of Strouse’s far-flung donors have given to only one other candidate – one who happens to have received money from his parents.
Meanwhile, Strouse’s camp has denied any role in the swap, and has refused to discuss the matter further. One has to wonder if this is why Strouse was so defensive when asked about campaign finance back during a March primary debate, saying, “We’re not going to have a conversation about donors because it’s frankly not important.”