CAPITAL CASH: Pro-Trans PAC Raises Less Than 1k Three Years After Early Hype
by Ken Shepherd
Capital Cash is a series by The Plains Sentinel investigating the intersection of money, influence, and politics in Nebraska, bringing readers stories on some of the most powerful figures and biggest donors in our state who have typically not seen the type of scrutiny from other outlets.
A political action committee launched in 2023 by a trio of progressive state senators amid their unsuccessful fight to block a law restricting transgender treatments for minors is not living up to its early hype, reporting less than $1,000 in donations last year and having failed in 2024 to defeat the one candidate it spent ad money against.
Don’t Legislate Hate PAC, organized by progressive State Senators Machaela Cavanaugh, John Fredrickson, and Megan Hunt in the wake of the passage of LB 574, hauled in just $748 in donations in 2025, according to a Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC) filing in February.
Of the just $2,791.75 in expenditures made in 2025, there were no monies disbursed to candidates or campaigns outside of Nebraska, and the lion’s share of expenses, $2,500, was paid out to the PAC’s treasurer for “campaign filings.”
A search of NADC filings since 2023 found that most expenditures made by Don’t Legislate Hate PAC were for consulting or administrative services, with just $5,000 being disbursed for digital advertising in a state legislative race in 2024.
The largest expenditure from the group was a $23,000 consulting fee from the spring of 2023, paid to BCOM Solutions LLC, a consulting firm run by Brent Comstock, an independent who is running to become a University of Nebraska Regent this cycle.
The PAC also spent to reimburse Fredrickson and Cavanaugh for travel, as well as Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of the former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Besides its dwindling financials, Don’t Legislate Hate PAC has a dormant presence on the internet and social media. As of publication time, Don’t Legislate Hate’s official website, dontlegislate.org, leads to a dead link, while the organization’s official X account has not posted since April 2024.
A request for comment to Don’t Legislate Hate PAC’s webmaster, submitted by The Plains Sentinel Friday evening, was not returned by publication time. Don’t Legislate Hate’s Instagram account, instagram.com/dontleghatepac, is no longer operative.
It’s a disappointing comedown for progressives from their high hopes and promising media buzz in April 2023, when Sen. Cavanaugh earned a national spotlight over her filibuster efforts, including a viral-video clip of the Omaha Democrat spending a few minutes in one marathon speech repeating the mantra of protesters massed in the rotunda of the state capitol: “Trans people belong here! We need trans people! We love trans people!”
Interviewed on April 3, 2023, for ABC’s “GMA3” to discuss her filibuster, Cavanaugh was given time at the close to her airtime to plug the launch of Don’t Legislate Hate PAC, saying she was inspired by “an outpouring from people in Nebraska and across the country wanting to know how they can support what we are doing[.]”
At the time, Don’t Legislate Hate PAC ran with the publicity, posting the interview video on its X account and following it up with a fundraising pitch pledging sweeping action across the country. “We’re fighting back against 400+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills around the country & helping elect candidates who will champion LGBTQ+ rights,” the April 3, 2023 post read. “Become a Founding Donor by pitching in $5 today.”
According to NADC records, 2023 was the strongest year for Don’t Legislate Hate, starting from scratch to end the year just shy of raising $125,000. The 2024 election year likewise saw nearly $42,000 in donations to its nearly $67,000 in expenditures.
A review of NADC filings shows the vast majority of Don’t Legislate Hate’s spending was on consulting expenses, with no money spent on candidates or campaigns outside Nebraska. As for in-state races, Don’t Legislate Hate’s sole endorsed candidate lost her bid to unseat a conservative champion of restrictions on gender transitions of minors.
Mary Ann Folchert, a Democrat who unsuccessfully challenged LB 574 author Sen. Kathleen Kauth’s re-election bid, was supported with a $5,000 digital-ad buy in the fall of 2024. Kauth won that race with 54% of the vote.
The Plains Sentinel reached out for comment via email to Sens. Cavanaugh, Fredrickson, and Hunt, but did not receive any responses by the time of publication.
Speaking to The Plains Sentinel by phone, Kauth said she was not surprised the Don’t Legislate Hate push has fizzled out rather than tapping into the anticipated national groundswell as Cavanaugh had suggested at the PAC’s launch.
“It was just a way to capitalize on the angst of the moment,” Kauth said. “They were good at capitalizing on the trauma and drama that they caused.”
Ken Shepherd is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel. He is a former editor at Fox News Digital and the Washington Times.
