A Republican-linked group was the sole funded of two pop-up super PACs that spent more than $4.3 million across a swath of Democratic congressional primaries to support candidates seen as less electable.
Democrats had speculated that the two groups, Real Change PAC and Lead Left, were Republican meddling as they spent heavily across Democratic primary races in Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nebraska and Maine in recent months.
New filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission late Saturday night show both groups got all of their money so far from Conservative Americans PAC, a super PAC founded in 2023 that this cycle has also sent money to the Senate Leadership Fund — Senate Republicans’ super PAC arm — and a host of other Republican groups.
The meddling super PACs, which have spent entirely in open Democratic primaries, have a mixed record so far. In Maine’s 2nd District, state auditor Matt Dunlap — who benefited from a bit over $500,000 in spending from Real Change PAC boosting him and attacking one of his primary rivals — was declared the winner in recent days and will be Democrats’ nominee in a light red seat they are hoping to keep in November.
And in Nebraska's 2nd District, Lead Left spent $435,000 to oppose state Sen. John Cavanaugh, who lost to political activist Denise Powell.
But the groups came up short in other races. Real Change PAC also spent more than $650,000 against Navy veteran Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey’s 7th District, while Lead Left spent $1.7 million fighting union leader Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania’s 7th District and just over $1 million to boost Maureen Galindo — a sex therapist who faced criticism over perceived antisemitic comments — in Texas’ 35th District. Galindo ultimately lost to sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia.
Conservative Americans PAC has received all of its funding so far this year from a Virginia-based nonprofit called the American Prosperity Alliance. The PAC did not immediately respond to an email listed in its FEC filings on Sunday morning.
Pop-up super PACs, which take advantage of the timing of FEC reporting deadlines to avoid reporting their sources of funding before primary elections, have become increasingly common in recent cycles.
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