{"id":1261,"date":"2026-07-21T14:45:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1261"},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:45:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:45:41","slug":"crypto-ai-and-aipac-super-pacs-are-spending-in-lockstep-against-progressives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1261","title":{"rendered":"Crypto, AI, and AIPAC Super PACs Are Spending in Lockstep Against Progressives"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Super-PACs-Citizens-United.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Crypto, AI, and AIPAC Super PACs Are Spending in Lockstep Against Progressives\" title=\"Crypto, AI, and AIPAC Super PACs Are Spending in Lockstep Against Progressives\" \/><\/div><p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"article-title-block_5447589f88b8399c9b92c1bbf2eebee4\" class=\"article-title \">\n<div class=\"article-title__container\">\n<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>Unprecedented sums are being spent on Democratic primaries, reshaping races while keeping their policy agendas largely out of public view.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad-block ad siderail-ad float-r-w-3 break-r-4\">\n<p>                                    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/advertising-policy\" class=\"ad-policy\" target=\"_blank\">Ad Policy<\/a><br \/>\n                                    <\/aside>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People gather outside of the Supreme Court Building to protest <em>Citizens United<\/em> in 2019.<span class=\"credits\">(Caroline Brehman \/ Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"is-style-dropcap\">In Democratic primaries across the country, three special interests have been shelling out tens of millions to defeat progressives and help elect centrists who they think will back their policy agendas in Congress. The trifecta of spending groups represent the crypto and AI industries plus the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, and in race after race they have been aligned to help the centrists push back against progressive insurgents.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 midterms are <a href=\"https:\/\/adimpact.com\/blogs\/adimpact-reveals-2026-election-cycle-to-reach-record-11.6-billion-in-ad-spending\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">projected by AdImpact<\/a> to be the most expensive ever for ad spending, outdoing even the last presidential cycle, and the three interests are fueling the surge. Super PACs working on behalf of crypto, AI, and AIPAC donors are the highest-spending groups on independent expenditures to influence voters this cycle\u2014combining to spend more than $180 million so far, according to a review of Federal Election Commission records.<\/p>\n<p>The super PAC largesse goes into media buys, digital ads, direct mail, text messages and more supporting favored candidates and attacking rivals\u2014but the policy wish list of their funders remains mostly opaque to voters. In both Democratic and Republican races, ads from crypto, AI, and AIPAC-linked groups usually avoid mention of their donors\u2019 core issues, whether decentralized finance, deregulating AI, or military aid to the government of Israel. To Democratic voters, the interest groups\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/ads-ai-industry-are-flooding-2026-election-artificial-intelligence-rcna260782\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">messages<\/a> often blare that candidates will stand up to Trump; to Republicans, the AI super PACs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/04\/01\/texas-congress-ai-super-pacs-artificial-intelligence-regulation-2026-midterms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tout<\/a> President Trump\u2019s endorsement. The three interests include top donors to Trump\u2019s super PAC, such as OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, who gave MAGA Inc. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00892471&amp;committee_id=C00916114&amp;contributor_name=brockman&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2026&amp;min_date=01%2F01%2F2025&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$25 million<\/a> and the same amount to the AI super PAC Leading the Future.<\/p>\n<p>Each of the three interests faces major legislative battles in Congress, either in the packed few months before the midterms or to be taken up by the next class of lawmakers. Last cycle marked the debut of outsize spending by crypto group Fairshake to knock out lawmakers like former Senate Banking Committee chair Sherrod Brown. They were joined by AIPAC\u2019s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), which ramped up its spending to unseat progressives like Representative Cori Bush; this cycle, they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/crypto-ai-super-pacs-election-spending-big-tech-dark-money-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joined by<\/a> tech giants in AI.<\/p>\n<p>Of the three interests, AIPAC-tied groups have spent the most so far in the 2026 cycle to influence voters in Democratic races for House and Senate, often using a strategy of seeding pop-up super PACs that delay disclosure of their funding sources until after Election Day. In Illinois primaries in March, three secretive super PACs with names like Elect Chicago Women (ECW) that were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/aipac-super-pac-funded-illinois-groups-democratic-primaries-israel-rcna264379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bankrolled by UDP<\/a> spent over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;q_spender=C00935049&amp;q_spender=C00935809&amp;q_spender=C00936724&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$16.1 million<\/a> to influence voters without publicly disclosing their donors before voters cast their ballots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned is that candidates need to confront the dark money spending head on,\u201d said Ravi Mangla, press secretary of the progressive Working Families Party (WFP). \u201cWhen voters learn where the money is coming from, the attacks tend to backfire. The AIPAC brand has become extremely toxic\u2014especially in Democratic primaries. AIPAC knows this too, which is why they\u2019re funneling their spending through shell PACs.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"current-issue-block_f8bf59540f21dbeaf2ed127ca3343378\" class=\"current-issue  float-l-w-2\">\n<h4 class=\"current-issue__title\">\n                    Current Issue<br \/>\n            <\/h4>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/issue\/july-august-2026-issue\/\" class=\"current-issue__cover\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cover0726-1.jpg\" alt=\"Cover of July\/August 2026 Issue\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>AIPAC\u2019s spending deluge has not always resulted in wins for their preferred candidates: many progressives have prevailed or advanced in primaries, including Randy Villegas in CA-22 and now-Representative Analilia Mejia in NJ-11, whose special election win in February presaged the progressive gains this year. But in other races, a massive outside spending edge provided by the interests helped centrists defeat a progressive endorsed by WFP or the group Justice Democrats (JD).<\/p>\n<p>And AIPAC continues to unload on the airwaves: three weeks before the closely-contested Aug. 4 Senate primary in Michigan, moderate Representative Haley Stevens has a 23x outside spending edge over WFP-endorsed Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, counting at least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_id=S6MI00426&amp;candidate_id=S6MI00418&amp;candidate_office=S&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=MI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$19.7 million<\/a> in disclosed spending by UDP and $14.6 million more from the mysterious group A Stronger Michigan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in a populist moment and, fortunately, many of AIPAC and crypto\u2019s candidates are falling short in their races,\u201d Mangla said. \u201cBut if we\u2019ve learned anything, it\u2019s that these groups will overhaul their strategies to remain relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:29px\">Crypto Onslaught Continues<\/p>\n<div id=\"cta-block_a54ca7a71c855a9ef88261faf4856966\" class=\"cta float-l-w-2\">\n<p class=\"is-style-dropcap\">Cryptocurrency industry groups have combined to spend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;q_spender=C00822775&amp;q_spender=C00835959&amp;q_spender=C00836221&amp;q_spender=C00848440&amp;q_spender=C00911610&amp;q_spender=C00915181&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;most_recent=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$69.9 million<\/a> so far this cycle at the federal level, over half of that in Democratic races, according to a review of FEC data. Spending has been led by Fairshake, whose top funders are aligned with the Trump administration in pressing for a crypto-favorable regulatory regime.<\/p>\n<p>The crypto industry has racked up a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/technology\/5674994-trump-crypto-industry-political-rise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">victories<\/a> after its unprecedented spending in 2024 elections: its championed stablecoin legislation, the GENIUS Act, signed into law; a slew of friendly regulators appointed; pro-crypto executive orders issued; and corporate enforcement actions against giants like Coinbase <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.org\/article\/corporate-enforcement-trump-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dropped<\/a>. Now the crypto lobby is all-hands-on-deck to push another major market structure bill, the Clarity Act, through the Senate and reconcile it with House-passed versions\u2014aiming to have it on President Trump\u2019s desk <a href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/372316\/galaxy-slashes-clarity-acts-2026-odds-to-50-as-senate-time-runs-short\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">before<\/a> the August recess. Even if all Senate Republicans are united, at least seven votes from Democrats or independents would be needed for the Clarity Act, the crypto industry\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/01\/28\/congress\/crypto-super-pac-war-chest-00752834\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">top legislative priority<\/a>, to overcome a filibuster and advance to a floor vote.<\/p>\n<p>Fairshake took a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/rep-christian-menefee-defeats-rep-al-green-in-primary-runoff-fueled-by-redistricting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">victory lap<\/a> in May, calling itself the \u201cdifference-maker\u201d in a Texas race by helping <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/06\/05\/texas-menefee-green-campaign-harris-county-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crypto-friendly<\/a> Representative Christian Menefee, whose campaign site echoed industry language on blockchain \u201cinnovation,\u201d to knock out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/democratic-runoff-reps-al-green-100000812.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crypto critic<\/a> Representative Al Green, who voted against the GENIUS Act. Its Democratic-focused affiliate Protect Progress dropped a whopping <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;q_spender=C00835959&amp;q_spender=C00836221&amp;q_spender=C00848440&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_office=H&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=TX&amp;candidate_office_district=18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$6.5 million<\/a> supporting Menefee in the face-off between two sitting House members\u2014making up nearly all of the outside spending in the race. Fairshake\u2019s top funders include Coinbase, which formed the Stand With Crypto advocacy organization that issues scorecards to candidates on their support, and VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, whose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/trump-cfpb-marc-andreessen-silicon-valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump-allied<\/a> cofounder Marc Andreessen is one of the largest known political donors this cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Fairshake also stepped in to back a top crypto cheerleader, Representative Ritchie Torres in NY-15, the cofounder of the Congressional Crypto Caucus with House majority whip Tom Emmer (R-MN). Protect Progress spent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_office=H&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=NY&amp;candidate_office_district=15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$1.4 million<\/a> supporting Torres, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/3633\/cosponsors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cosponsored<\/a> the House version of the Clarity Act. While the deep-pocketed Fairshake often backed incumbents who were likely to win their primaries, one of its largest plays, in a Senate primary, did not go its way: The group lost its highest-spending Democratic contest to date when Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton prevailed after it spent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;q_spender=C00835959&amp;q_spender=C00836221&amp;q_spender=C00848440&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_id=S6IL00458\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$10 million<\/a> opposing her bid. Stratton, who had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/03\/18\/ai-crpyto-illinois-primaries-2026-elections.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tagged<\/a> with an \u201cF\u201d from Stand With Crypto, assailed the \u201cMAGA-backed crypto bros\u201d behind the attack ads.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:29px\">AI Joins the Fray <\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-dropcap\">A set of super PACs funded by the artificial intelligence industry has spent more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;q_spender=C00916114&amp;q_spender=C00916692&amp;q_spender=C00923417&amp;q_spender=C00928069&amp;q_spender=C00928374&amp;q_spender=C00928390&amp;q_spender=C00930503&amp;q_spender=C00946830&amp;q_spender=C30003586&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$52.8 million<\/a> so far in House and Senate contests, with nearly three-quarters going into Democratic races, according to FEC data. The AI spending has been led by two rival networks: the OpenAI-tied Leading the Future, which is pushing for federal preemption of state AI regulations; and the Anthropic-tied Public First Action, which bills itself as amenable to some AI safety measures. That sum includes spending by the group You Can Push Back, founded by billionaire crypto and Anthropic investor Chris Larsen, which has paid for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/01\/crypto-billionaire-puts-3-5-million-behind-alex-bores-in-new-york-00902968\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ads on AI safety<\/a>. The AI industry similarly faces major regulatory questions\u2014likely to be taken up by the next Congress, given the tight calendar before the midterms\u2014including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/08\/white-house-hill-relaunch-effort-block-state-ai-laws\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressure<\/a> from the Trump administration to preempt AI safety measures that have become state laws in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>The camps battled over the hugely expensive primary in NY-12, where the Public First affiliate Jobs and Democracy PAC dished out nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_office=H&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=NY&amp;candidate_office_district=12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$13.2 million<\/a> backing New York State Assembly member Alex Bores, who lost by four points to Assemblyman Micah Lasher. Leading the Future affiliate Think Big spent more than $8 million opposing Bores in the contest, with some ads hitting Bores for his past work at Palantir\u2014though Palantir\u2019s cofounder Joe Lonsdale was an early <a href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/fecimg\/?202601309794868429\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$250,000<\/a> contributor to the network\u2019s Republican arm, American Mission.<\/p>\n<p>In the March 3 contest in NC-04 where Representative Valerie Foushee edged out the JD-endorsed Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam by one point, or 1,171 votes, the incumbent\u2019s campaign was backed by more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_office=H&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=NC&amp;candidate_office_district=04\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$1.6 million<\/a> from Public First\u2019s affiliate Jobs and Democracy PAC. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/07\/09\/ai-companies-election-spending.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anthropic-tied group<\/a> Public First Action opposes a federal preemption on AI regulations (a primary goal of Leading the Future), but Anthropic\u2019s record in the states is more nuanced: in 2024, the company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/07\/25\/exclusive-anthropic-weighs-in-on-california-ai-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lobbied<\/a> for changes to a far-reaching California AI safety bill that would have held companies liable for harms caused by their AI models. Foushee shapes AI policy as a co-chair of the House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy, as well as by chairing the Task Force on AI of the business-friendly New Democrat Coalition. In the campaign, where a proposed data center outside of Raleigh was a flashpoint, Allam had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/mar\/03\/datacenter-politics-north-carolina-primary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called for<\/a> a 10-year national moratorium on data center construction until rules could be developed for the facilities to use recycled water and run on renewable electricity sources to avoid spiking energy costs. Foushee said that decisions on data centers should be made by local officials, not federal lawmakers.<\/p>\n<section aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad fullwidth-ad contained row position-relative ad-block alignfull \">\n    <!--Ad policy starts here--><br \/>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/advertising-policy\" class=\"mid-ad-policy\">Ad Policy<\/a><br \/>\n        <!--Ad policy ends here--><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p style=\"font-size:29px\">AIPAC Increases Spending<\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-dropcap\">UDP, its ally Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), and a trio of shell PACs in Illinois including ECW have made independent expenditures totaling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;q_spender=C00710848&amp;q_spender=C00799031&amp;q_spender=C00935049&amp;q_spender=C00935809&amp;q_spender=C00936724&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$57.6 million<\/a> so far in federal races, the vast majority of it in Democratic primaries. Already, this amount from UDP and DMFI far exceeds what the two PACs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/outside-spending\/by_group\/2024?chart=V&amp;disp=O&amp;type=I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">combined<\/a> to spend influencing voters in the entire 2024 cycle. Making its spending even more diffuse, UDP and DMFI have been sending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;contributor_name=C00710848&amp;contributor_name=C00799031&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2026&amp;min_date=01%2F01%2F2025&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">large donations<\/a> to handfuls of other groups, like EDW Action Fund, that back their preferred candidates\u2014meaning the sum of AIPAC spending to message voters is many millions higher.<\/p>\n<section id=\"popular-block_0ab9932ed099d9354b618f062d164bb3\" class=\"popular-articles\">\n<div class=\"swiper\">\n<p><h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<p>            <span class=\"swipe-msg\"><span class=\"sr-only\">\u201cswipe left below to view more authors\u201d<\/span>Swipe \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<ol class=\"popular-articles__list\">\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>In an Illinois primary held in March, the three interests came together to help power centrist former representative Melissa Bean to a primary win over a field that included the JD-endorsed Junaid Ahmed, a difference of about five points, or 3,325 votes. Bean was backed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_office=H&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=IL&amp;candidate_office_district=08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$4 million<\/a> in support from UDP-funded ECW, more than $1.1 million from Think Big, and $557,000 from Protect Progress, among other groups like the New Democrat Majority. On top of that, Ahmed\u2019s bid was opposed by $664,000 in spending by Chicago Progressive Partnership, a pop-up PAC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00935809&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2026&amp;min_date=01%2F01%2F2025&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funded largely<\/a> by ECW. Counting all outside spending for the two candidates, Bean had a 43x advantage over Ahmed, according to a tally of FEC records. AIPAC congratulated Bean on her win against the tech entrepreneur Ahmed, who campaigned on a halt to military aid for Israel, focusing on what he <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wttw.com\/elections\/voters-guide\/2026-primary\/junaid-ahmed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> \u201cthe United States involvement in genocide in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For three terms starting in 2005, Bean was a member of the corporate-backed Blue Dog Coalition and was nicknamed as being among Wall Street\u2019s favorite Democrats, thanks to her actions like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/12\/10\/us\/politics\/10regulate.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">introducing<\/a> amendments in 2009 that would weaken bank regulation by states. Bean\u2019s tilt toward well-off investors was well known: In 2006, she was one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/wbna13036420\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">15 Democrats<\/a> who crossed over to vote for a $70 billion tax cut, signed by President George W. Bush, extending a lower capital gains rate\u2014a vote panned as \u201canother windfall for the wealthy\u201d by none other than Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rahm Emanuel, also of Illinois. Ahmed\u2019s campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/2026\/03\/12\/illinois-eighth-congressional-district-aipac-ai-bean-ahmed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">closed out<\/a> the primary with a door-knocking push that highlighted the corporate money flooding into the eighth district\u2019s race and others.<\/p>\n<p>Across the city of Chicago, in the IL-02 primary, Donna Miller, a Cook County commissioner, defeated former US representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and the WFP-endorsed Illinois state Senator Robert Peters. The top outside spender was the UDP-funded Affordable Chicago Now!, which poured nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_office=H&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=IL&amp;candidate_office_district=02\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$4.4 million<\/a> into supporting Miller. Peters, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/cryptocurrency-and-ai-industries-tested-their-influence-in-illinois-it-didnt-go-well\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">supported<\/a> crypto regulation and had called out the industry\u2019s heavy spending in the race, was also opposed by $817,000 from Fairshake. Peters\u2019 outside spending support totaled under half a million dollars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Illinois Second Congressional District is a working-class, Black district, and having these billionaire, right-wing donors coming and trying to buy up this scene is a real concern that we should all be worried about,\u201d Peters told <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7chicago.com\/post\/illinois-election-primary-2026-jesse-jackson-jr-donna-miller-robert-peters-seek-robin-kellys-2nd-congressional-district-seat\/18711722\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ABC7 News<\/a> in March.<\/p>\n<p>In the MD-05 primary on June 23, Maryland state Delegate Adrian Boafo, a former aide to retiring incumbent Representative Steny Hoyer, won in a field that included the WFP-endorsed former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who finished third. A flood of outside money rolled in to back Boafo, led by more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/independent-expenditures\/?data_type=processed&amp;most_recent=true&amp;cycle=2026&amp;is_notice=true&amp;candidate_office=H&amp;candidate_party=DEM&amp;candidate_office_state=MD&amp;candidate_office_district=05\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$5.7 million<\/a> from UDP and over $5.5 million from Fairshake affiliate Protect Progress. Boafo <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/06\/21\/adrian-boafo-boosted-by-aipac-crypto-maryland-house-democratic-primary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">introduced<\/a> state legislation to shield crypto from regulation and wrote that he would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/23\/boafo-wins-maryland-house-primary-00973131\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strengthen<\/a> the US-Israel alliance. The contest was the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2024\/05\/11\/maryland-harry-dunn-sarah-elfreth-aipac-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second consecutive<\/a> primary where AIPAC\u2019s super PAC has put millions of dollars behind one of Dunn\u2019s opponents; his campaign website says that in addition to improving the long-standing alliance of US and Israel, Dunn would \u201cstand up for Palestinian civilians and fight for humanitarian aid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Foushee\u2019s narrow win over Allam was also backed by $600,000 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00931774&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2026&amp;min_date=01%2F01%2F2025&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mysterious<\/a> Article One PAC, linked in FEC records to a committee <a href=\"https:\/\/readsludge.com\/2026\/02\/26\/aipac-donor-tied-group-drops-six-figures-for-foushee-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funded<\/a> by billionaire UDP donor Robert Granieri.<\/p>\n<p>The barrage of election ads from anodyne-sounding super PACs in Democratic primaries is coming under some scrutiny: A Democratic National Committee panel, as instructed by Chair Ken Martin, is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/readsludge.com\/2025\/08\/14\/dnc-chair-moves-to-confront-corporate-and-dark-money-in-2028-primaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">considering<\/a> a rules change to the 2028 presidential nomination contest that would adopt enforceable steps to \u201celiminate unlimited corporate and dark money\u201d in the process. But the DNC\u2019s recommendations for its White House hopefuls would not yet directly address the super PACs now flooding congressional primaries\u2014though state Democratic parties could set more control over their primary <a href=\"https:\/\/readsludge.com\/2024\/11\/26\/a-fight-for-the-soul-of-the-dnc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rules<\/a>, such as by requiring candidates to repudiate dark money in order to access party resources. In some Democratic races, meanwhile, candidates like Troy Jackson in Maine <a href=\"https:\/\/barnraisingmedia.com\/the-candidate-from-rural-maine-fighting-big-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">picked up<\/a> the voluntary \u201cPeople\u2019s Pledge,\u201d whereby candidates agree to reject independent expenditures from corporate and dark money groups and encourage rivals to do the same.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Moore-crypto-AI-AIPAC.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"932\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Moore-crypto-AI-AIPAC.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-604645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Moore-crypto-AI-AIPAC.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Moore-crypto-AI-AIPAC-768x497.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Click to enlarge.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"article-end-\" class=\"article-end \">\n<div class=\"article-end__authors\">\n<div class=\"article-end__author\">\n<h5 class=\"article-end__author-name\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/david-moore\/\">David Moore<\/a><br \/>\n                    <\/h5>\n<div class=\"article-end__author-bio\">\n<p>David Moore is a cofounder of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/readsludge.com\/\">Sludge<\/a><\/em>, an independent newsroom focused on money in politics. He is based in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <!-- Tag ID: thenation_incontent_2 --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<!-- Tag ID: thenation_registration_billboard --><\/p>\n<section class=\"collections collections--col-0\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<h2 class=\"collections__title\">More from <span class=\"not-italic\">The Nation<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"collection__row\">\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/republican-hate-election\/\" aria-label=\"Do Voters Hate Democrats More Than Republicans?\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26065798054758.jpg\" alt=\"Do Voters Hate Democrats More Than Republicans?\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>The GOP is staking its chances on the idea that that Americans are more dissatisfied with the opposition party than the one in power.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n                                                                            <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/chris-lehmann\/\">Chris Lehmann<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/ice-kills\/\" aria-label=\"ICE Kills\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440.jpg 1420w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-680x430.jpg 680w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7-20_FEAT_1440.jpg\" alt=\"ICE Kills\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<p class=\"dek\">The human cost of ICE\u2019s expanded enforcement is measured in lives. Since January 2025, at least 10 people have been fatally shot during immigration enforcement operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/content\/oppart\/\" class=\"collections__label\">OppArt<\/a><br \/>\n                                            <span class=\"collections__divider\"><br \/>\n                            \/<br \/>\n                        <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                        <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/felipe-galindo\/\">Felipe Galindo<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/newsletter-trump-speech-democrats\/\" aria-label=\"Trump Delivered the Crazy, the Democrats Delivered... Tweets\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785879.jpg\" alt=\"US President Donald Trump gestures after addressing the nation on July 16, 2026.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>In this week\u2019s\u00a0<em>Elie v. US<\/em>, our justice correspondent schools Democrats on the proper response to Trump\u2019s speech. Plus: Where have all the African American baseball players gone?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n                                                                            <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/elie-mystal\/\">Elie Mystal<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/trump-election-fraud-speech-reaction-analysis\/\" aria-label=\"Trump\u2019s Election Fraud Speech Was a Sick Joke\u2014and a Threat\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285785501.jpg\" alt=\"Monitors display US President Donald Trump during a prime-time address to the nation in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 16, 2026.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>Not even Fox News buys Trump\u2019s new lies, but they will be used to undermine the midterms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n                                                                            <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/jeet-heer\/\">Jeet Heer<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>        <!-- Tag ID: thenation_btf_medrec --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tpContentAuthor\" value=\"David Moore\"\/><br \/>\n        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tpTags\" value=\"campaigns-and-elections,politics,the-left\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"5bfa1cc23dee2815e7855a19-text\/javascript\">\n\t\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n\t\t{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n\t\tif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n\t\tn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n\t\ts.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\tfbq('init', '233793277040432');\n\t\tfbq('track', 'PageView');\n\t\t\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unprecedented sums are being spent on Democratic primaries, reshaping races while keeping their policy agendas largely out of public view. Ad Policy People gather outside of the Supreme Court Building to protest Citizens United in 2019.(Caroline Brehman \/ Getty) In Democratic primaries across the country, three special interests have been shelling out tens of millions&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Super-PACs-Citizens-United.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[2499,521,2501,2500,2502,808,1752],"class_list":["post-1261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-aipac","tag-crypto","tag-lockstep","tag-pacs","tag-progressives","tag-spending","tag-super"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}