Margaret Good inappropriately leverages ‘Giving Tuesday’ to raise campaign funds

Congratulations to Margaret Good, who will now face James Buchanan in the HD 72 special general election.

Cold, hard cash. It’s no secret that it’s one of the most important ingredients in a successful political campaign.

And there’s no shortage of candidates and PACs looking for a boost — after a brief reprieve following the 2018 elections, email inboxes are once again being inundating by requests for capital.

Admittedly, there’s probably no right way to make the ask.

Some choose to gussy it up with swanky receptions replete with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in exchange for a couple grand. Others take the blue-collar approach, asking for a buck or two, though as of late those requests mostly come from billionaires looking to make a debate stage.

However, there is certainly a wrong way to ask for money. And state Rep. Margaret Good has demonstrated a knack for finding that line and crossing it.

In the past, the Sarasota Democrat has inappropriately appropriated current events to scrounge skrill — in the wake of a hurricane, she shamelessly put out a call for contributions, likely diverting more than a few dollars from worthy charities such as the Red Cross or Farm Share.

She hasn’t gained any tact since entering the race for Florida’s 16th Congressional District. In fact, she may have lost some.

For those in the know, it’s become tradition to follow up the consumerism of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday by supporting charities on “Giving Tuesday,” held on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving every year since 2012.

For the charities that participate, from children’s hospitals to homeless shelters, it may as well be Christmas — it’s one of the biggest fundraising days of the year for those groups, and many corporations choose to lend a helping hand by matching individual donations.

But Good wants it to be Christmas for her campaign account, too. At least that’s the impression one gets when reading her latest campaign comms.

In a Tuesday email, Good for Congress called Giving Tuesday “a day when grassroots activists and supporters across the country give back to causes they care about in their communities.”

That’s true.

The follow up: “Today, we hope you join us in supporting our campaign to bring real leadership back to Florida’s 16th district.”

That’s tasteless.

Had the campaign not mentioned Giving Tuesday, it’d be easy to ignore. But instead Good tried to pitch her congressional campaign — which, if past is prologue, is likely a fool’s errand to begin with — in the same light as charities such as St. Jude’s and The Humane Society.

And for what?

It’s not like Good has ever had trouble raising money. She raised nearly $500,000 in hard money during the 2018 special election for HD 72. She followed that up with another $550,000 in her truncated reelection campaign. And in her first day as a congressional candidate, she banked $135,000 on her way to a $450,000 quarter.

No sane person would advise a campaign to stop raising money. But anyone with a lick of sense would say Giving Tuesday isn’t a day to stick your hand out.

Afterall, money may win elections. But missteps sink them.