"Extremely dangerous": Republicans spark fury with apparent meddling in Dem primaries
· Axios
House Democrats are seething over what is, by all indications, a nationwide Republican effort to elevate Democratic primary candidates viewed as more beatable in November.
Why it matters: This once-rare practice is becoming commonplace. Democrats did it in 2022 and 2024, with one House Democrat telling Axios it "seems like the new normal."
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- Republican former Rep. Adam Kinzinger told Axios that GOP spending in Democratic primaries is "awful" but was "inevitable" after Democrats adopted the tactic in the Biden years.
- Democrats, he said, "probably ... taught the Republicans a lesson" in how to meddle in the opposing party's primaries.
Driving the news: A trio of obscure super PACs with progressive-sounding names have cropped up in recent months to support more left-leaning or scandal-tarnished candidates in key battleground districts.
- Lead Left PAC played in Nebraska's 2nd district, Pennsylvania's 7th and — most infamously — Texas' 35th, where it reported spending over $1 million to boost Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist whose comments widely seen as antisemitic became a major flashpoint before she lost in a primary runoff.
- Real Change PAC spent big to oppose the more moderate Democratic primary candidates in New Jersey's 7th, Maine's 2nd and California's 22nd districts.
- Progressive Champions PAC is spending at least $1.5 million against centrist Cait Conley in New York's 17th district.
Between the lines: Republicans have played coy about their alleged role in these efforts, but there are plenty of clues pointing to their involvement.
- Lead Left PAC's website — which says the group "stands against MAGA extremists" — includes a link to the GOP fundraising site WinRed in its metadata, according to Punchbowl News.
- When someone signs up to receive emails from Real Change PAC, they receive a confirmation email from GOP consulting firm Cavalry LLC, which Axios first reported.
- Progressive Champions PAC and Real Change PAC list the same bank of record on their FEC filings, with both reportedly using the same, Republican-affiliated compliance filing software.
What we're hearing: One former House Republican with knowledge of the effort, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details, told Axios this is simply the GOP fighting fire with fire.
- "After Dems ran these fake PACs two years ago, Republicans have entered the fray with the same strategy," the ex-lawmaker told Axios.
- New York's 17th, they added, is "one of the districts [where] it's being employed."
Yes, but: A former House Democrat involved in the 2022 and 2024 elections noted there were "no fake shell Dem PACs from those years" — the spending was directly from well-established Democratic groups.
- In 2022, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC meddled directly in GOP primaries.
- In 2024, a group called Duty and Country — which had public ties to Democrats' Senate Majority PAC — supported now-Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in his GOP primary.
What they're saying: Democrats "aren't happy" that Republicans are "trying to help the far left," a senior House Democrat told Axios.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has publicly blasted Republicans on the subject, writing in a post on X last week: "Stay the Hell out of our races with your malignant and desperate scheming."
- "This type of spending is as prevalent as it is awful — by Dems and Republicans," Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) told Axios.
The bottom line: This is all made possible in part by campaign finance laws allowing these groups to keep their funding sources hidden until after primary day.
- "Unfortunately this is the world of the super PAC," said Kinzinger. "It's a symptom of a bigger problem."
- "If only Congress had the ability do something about these super PACs," Olszewski told Axios sarcastically, adding, "Oh wait."