A Republican political action committee (PAC) that “initially took great effort” to hide their identity came clean Monday after admitting to Punchbowl News they had “meddled” in Democratic primaries in several states.
“Republicans are leveling the playing field after over a decade of Democrats meddling in our primaries,” said Samantha Bullock, a spokesperson for Conservative Americans PAC, speaking with Punchbowl News. “And with the Democrat Party in the midst of a civil war, Republicans would be stupid not to take advantage while pushing their candidates farther left.”
According to “a new trove of [Federal Election Commission] data” reviewed by Punchbowl News, Conservative Americans PAC had funded two seemingly Democratic groups: Lead Left PAC and Real Change PAC, two organizations that helped shape Democratic primaries in Nebraska, Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas. In total, Conservative Americans PAC dropped $4.4 million in May to “meddle in Democratic primaries.”
“Democrats have been highly suspicious of Real Change PAC and Lead Left PAC, which initially took great effort to hide their leadership and partisan affiliations,” Punchbowl News’ report reads.
“But a few clues were pointing to Republican meddling. The group is now confirming the role it played. This effort has had some success. Conservative Americans PAC got its preferred candidates in Nebraska and Maine. But it’s not clear how decisive their spending was.”
Conservative Americans PAC itself is funded by American Prosperity Alliance, a GOP-aligned nonprofit organization with ties to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) that advocates for conservative policies. According to the nonprofit organization OpenSecrets, American Prosperity Alliance made more than $22.5 million in contributions during the 2024 election cycle to various GOP-aligned PACs.