Republicans Brag About 100k “Con” Sign Ins For Millionaires Tax — Almost 40k May Be Fake, Advocates Allege

Supporters of the millionaires tax under consideration in the Washington State Legislature say the tidal wave of opposition in the bill’s public sign-ins may not reflect genuine public sentiment, but a spam campaign inflating the right’s numbers with tens of thousands of duplicates and at least 100 falsified entries. Even one of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Victoria Hunt (D-Issaquah), was falsely signed in as opposing the bill she voted out of her chamber earlier this month — twice.

The episode calls into question how seriously lawmakers should take the Republican talking point that the Legislature is ignoring a legitimate majority of constituents by advancing the proposal.

For weeks, conservatives have touted the historic number of people signing in on the Legislature’s website to oppose Senate Bill 6346 and House Bill 2724, which would levy a 9.9% tax on earnings exceeding $1 million annually. On Monday — a day before the bill’s first public hearing in the House — “con” sign-ins surpassed 100,000, a new record according to the Senate Republican Caucus.

But during a virtual press conference Monday morning, the progressive advocacy group Invest in Washington Now urged caution. The group alleges more than 37,000 of the opposition entries were duplicates and at least 100 people reported being impersonated, including former U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, Hunt, and prominent supporters such as SEIU 775 Secretary-Treasurer Adam Glickman and Economic Opportunity Institute’s Alexis Mansanarez.

Invest in Washington Now sent a letter to Attorney General Nick Brown and House Chief Clerk Bernard Dean requesting an investigation, alleging fraud and impersonation by unknown actors. While the Legislature’s pro-and-con registry typically carries little formal weight beyond political messaging, falsifying entries is illegal.

The allegations prompted little retreat from conservative leaders. Brian Heywood, the hedge fund manager behind several recent conservative initiatives in Washington, said the headline numbers still speak for themselves.

“Even with their wildest claims, this is still the most unpopular bill in history,” Heywood said in a statement. “These attempts to minimize the concerns of voters don’t change the outcome — they just emphasize how desperate supporters are to downplay the clear and historic rejection.”

But perhaps Heywood and his conservative buddies should consider more legitimized public polling. For example, polling from DHM Research earlier this year shows 61% of Washingtonians support the millionaires tax. More broadly, Washington voters seem to like taxing the rich. When Heywood ran a ballot initiative to overturn the State’s capital gains tax, 64% of voters defended the tax. 

Of course, opponents to the millionaires tax will point to a 2010 ballot initiative where voters roundly rejected a state income tax. However, that tax would apply to earnings above $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for joint filers. Plus, that was more than 15 years ago. In any event, Democrats expect voters will eventually get to weigh in on the issue when someone inevitably runs an initiative to repeal the millionaires tax.