{"id":142,"date":"2026-06-02T18:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:41:18","slug":"mystery-money-is-displacing-actual-campaigns-in-democratic-primaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142","title":{"rendered":"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

More than $2 million has been spent on ads this year in the Senate Democratic primary in Montana. And almost every cent has come from a pair of dueling super PACs whose sources of funding remain a mystery.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Signs Order Aimed at Giving U.S. Early Access to Advanced AI Models<\/a><\/p>\n

The two Democratic candidates in the race haven\u2019t spent anything on TV or digital ads in the state, according to AdImpact, giving the super PACs outsize influence on the outcome of Tuesday\u2019s primary.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a strikingly common dynamic in Democratic primaries this year, including in a plethora of races this month.<\/p>\n

To a degree without modern precedent, the Democratic Party\u2019s House and Senate primaries are being inundated with spending from outside groups, which has frustrated Democratic voters and had a major effect on the outcome of some races. In nearly every case, the funding source for the ads is unknown, and in many cases, an ad\u2019s subject matter appears deliberately misaligned with a group\u2019s actual goals.<\/p>\n

The overall effect is such that these groups \u2014 backed by wealthy special interests, Democratic leaders or even Republican officials trying to affect their opponents\u2019 races \u2014 have displaced campaigns themselves as the most influential entities in the campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocratic candidates are facing an unprecedented amount of outside spending, both from Democratic-aligned groups trying to mold outcomes \u2014 based on ideological or electability \u2014 and Republican dark money groups meddling to elevate weak candidates,\u201d said Ian Russell, a longtime Democratic strategist.<\/p>\n

Outside groups have spent heavily in Democratic primaries previous election cycles, but the practice is now more widespread \u201cby several times over,\u201d Russell said.<\/p>\n

The deluge first arrived in a quartet of Chicago-area House races<\/u><\/span> in March, where outside groups spent more than $26 million on electioneering activities. It has continued in races this month, including in Iowa, where the outside group VoteVets has spent nearly $10 million in support of state Rep. Josh Turek in a competitive two-way primary there. In Michigan, a group called the Center for Democratic Priorities has spent about $6.5 million boosting Rep. Haley Stevens in her three-way race ahead of the state\u2019s August primary.<\/p>\n

A group of super PACs widely believed to be linked to Republicans have engaged in primary races happening this month, including in California, New Jersey and Maine, spending more than $5 million on ads that appear to be designed to boost Democratic candidates the Republican Party considers electorally weaker general-election nominees.<\/p>\n

And in New York\u2019s high-profile Democratic primary in the 12th Congressional District, outside groups account for four of the top five spenders so far, according to AdImpact. These groups, led by super PACs connected to the AI industry, have spent nearly $10 million between them.<\/p>\n

Democrats say the spending surge is a result of a perfect storm of factors, including the rise of industries like AI and crypto that have deep pockets and an interest in shaping government regulation. More than anything else, however, they point to the massive number of competitive Democratic primaries this year, driven in part by a restless liberal base less willing to accept the candidates backed by party leadership.<\/p>\n

The division has created a new opening for outside players to try to influence the outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never felt like there have been this many primaries for this many big seats,\u201d said Amanda Litman, co-founder of the liberal group Run for Something. \u201cWhich is indicative of how much the establishment or old guard has lost control. Because in previous cycles, they would have been able to box candidates out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Super PACs have been a factor in Democratic primaries since their inception following the Supreme Court\u2019s 2010 Citizens United decision. In 2022, following redistricting, groups had spent more than $50 million attempting to influence primaries, according to Politico<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Read more The Federal Government\u2019s Insect-Defense Agency Is Infested With Bed Bugs<\/a><\/p>\n

But Democratic voters are reacting to this year\u2019s spending from outside groups with uncommon frustration. In Iowa, for example, VoteVets\u2019 spending to boost Turek has helped make him the favorite in Tuesday\u2019s primary against state Sen. Zach Wahls, in part because the nearly $10 million the group has spent is three times more than the combined amount spent by Turek\u2019s and Wahls\u2019 campaigns.<\/p>\n

VoteVets\u2019 mission is to support candidates who served in the armed forces, and Turek is not a military veteran. Leaders with the group have defended their decision because Turek suffers from spina bifida after his father, a military veteran, was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

That explanation doesn\u2019t satisfy some Wahls supporters, who allege that the group is secretly acting on behalf of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Wahls has said he would not support Schumer as leader if elected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question to ask VoteVets is, how many times have you financially supported, at this level, the child of a veteran? And the answer is none. There\u2019s zero,\u201d said Scott Foens, a Wahls supporter and former chair of the Iowa Democratic Party\u2019s Veterans\u2019 Caucus.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo then it becomes a question of OK, why? What\u2019s going on here behind the scenes?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Representatives for Schumer have repeatedly denied that he is behind the pro-Turek spending, and VoteVets officials have said they have previously supported nonveterans running for office, like Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia<\/u><\/span>, when the group considers their candidacies essential to preserving government support for institutions like Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n

But because of Federal Election Commission reporting rules, VoteVets will not have to disclose all of its donors by the time Iowa Democratic voters cast their ballots Tuesday. And critics point out that the group has spent nearly as much on independent expenditures in the Iowa Senate race as it did on all races in 2024 and does not even list Turek as one of their endorsed candidates<\/u><\/span> this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a veteran, I\u2019m annoyed that vets are being used here,\u201d said one Democratic strategist who served in the military and requested anonymity to speak candidly. \u201cI think in the end it\u2019s the VoteVets brand that\u2019ll be tarnished in all of this, because it\u2019s a stretch to back him in this scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like VoteVets, the Center for Democratic Priorities has not yet disclosed its donors, though its spending in Michigan might already be boosting Stevens\u2019 support.<\/p>\n

The situation is similar in Montana. More Jobs, Less Government \u2014 a Republican group that previously supported Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy \u2014 has spent more than $1 million since May on ads targeting one of the Democratic candidates, former state Rep. Reilly Neill. The spots play up her opposition to President Donald Trump and appear designed to boost her in a Democratic primary.<\/p>\n

Another group, Progressive Vote PAC, has spent more than $1 million backing a different candidate in the race, Alani Bankhead, according to AdImpact. That group, which formed in April, has thus far only reported a single $200,000 contribution, one from another outside group called American Values Project PAC.<\/p>\n

Democrats in the state are grappling with the possibility of backing an independent candidate for Senate: Seth Bodnar, a former president of the University of Montana.<\/p>\n

His ad spending is being dwarfed by outside groups\u2019: Bodnar\u2019s team has spent about $300,000 on ads, according to AdImpact.<\/p>\n

Read more Lawmakers Move to Draw Red Lines Around the Pentagon\u2019s Use of AI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Races in Montana, Iowa and Michigan are being shaped by outside groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-election"],"yoast_head":"\nMystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries - Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Races in Montana, Iowa and Michigan are being shaped by outside groups.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T18:41:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"headline\":\"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T18:41:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142\"},\"wordCount\":1228,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"2026 Election\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142\",\"name\":\"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries - Modern Home Journals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T18:41:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, waves to a supporter before a canvassing event, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Waukee, Iowa. (AP Photo\\\/Charlie Neibergall)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=142#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Modern Home Journals\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries - Modern Home Journals","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries - Modern Home Journals","og_description":"Races in Montana, Iowa and Michigan are being shaped by outside groups.","og_url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142","og_site_name":"Modern Home Journals","article_published_time":"2026-06-02T18:41:18+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#\/schema\/person\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0"},"headline":"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries","datePublished":"2026-06-02T18:41:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142"},"wordCount":1228,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["2026 Election"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142","url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142","name":"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries - Modern Home Journals","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-02T18:41:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#\/schema\/person\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/94b0fdf4fb8b0fee71efb008c02c69c0-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, waves to a supporter before a canvassing event, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Waukee, Iowa. (AP Photo\/Charlie Neibergall)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=142#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/","name":"Modern Home Journals","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#\/schema\/person\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/modernhomejournals.com"],"url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}