NEW: Out of Town, Out of Touch MI-07 Democrats Rake in Out of State Cash
New reporting is highlighting that “non-local Democrats” Bridget Brink and Matt Maasdam are raking in out of state cash.
Bridget Brink raised more money from New York ($129,560), Illinois ($106,000), Utah ($95,750), D.C. ($86,000), Virginia ($75,000), and California ($68,400) than from Michigan ($60,554).
Matt Maasdam raised more money from California ($54,407) than from Michigan.
“Out of touch. Out of town. That’s the story of Democrats running in the messy primary in Michigan’s 7th congressional district. Michigan voters will reject whichever far-left lunatic emerges from their clown show fueled by out of state cash.” – NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon
Read more from The Detroit News here or see excerpts below:
Out-of-state donors fueling U.S. House campaigns in Michigan swing districts
Detroit News
Melissa Nann Burke and Grant Schwab
November 28, 2025
Democrat Bridget Brink’s campaign in Lansing got $93,500 last quarter from Utah donors ― an odd infusion for someone running to be the next member of Congress from mid-Michigan.
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Brink is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, in Michigan’s 7th District, representing the greater Lansing area.
Her connection to red-state Utah is her friendship with Dell Loy Hansen, the founder of the real estate investment firm the Wasatch Group and a former professional soccer team owner in Utah. In 2020, Hansen sold the Real Salt Lake after reports of racist comments he made as the team’s owner, according to the New York Times.
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Hansen has given Brink’s campaign the maximum donation of $7,000 this year. He is a “longtime” friend of Brink’s and a donor to Democrats in Michigan and around the country, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Holly and the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, said Sam Boorstyn, campaign manager for Brink.
Sixteen other employees of Wasatch companies donated at least $63,000 this year to Brink’s bid for U.S. House. Her campaign would not explain the crush of donations from Wasatch employees, such as whether Hansen or someone else hosted a fundraiser for her in Utah last quarter. Hansen didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Brink has led fundraising among the Democratic primary contenders in Michigan’s 7th, raising over $1.1 million since her launch in June. About 7% of the donations from those who gave $200 or more were from Michigan, according to campaign finance filings.
Utah wasn’t her top state for contributions. She took in more from the states of New York ($129,560) and Illinois ($106,000). She also raised more from donors in D.C. ($86,600), Virginia (nearly $75,000) and California (nearly $68,400) than from Michigan (about $60,600) through Sept. 30.
Her campaign said that with small-dollar donations included that Brink has received more than 2,000 contributions from Michigan, or 16% of her overall total.
Matt Maasdam ― an Ann Arbor Township resident who is running against Brink in the Democratic primary ― reported 16% of the itemized contributions to his campaign from addresses inside Michigan. The campaign of Maasdam, who moved to Michigan in 2019, raised about as much from the Wolverine State as from the Golden State (California), $54,000.
A former Navy SEAL and White House aide, Maasdam separately brought in at least $86,400 to another fundraising entity, with about 23% of that total coming from Michigan donors giving over $200. Only a portion of those donations was transferred to his main campaign account.
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