Key facts
- FEC filings confirm Republican interference in Democratic primaries.
- Super PACs spent money to boost some candidates and attack others.
- Real Change PAC spent over $650,000 against Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey's 7th District.
- Lead Left spent $1.7 million against Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania's 7th District.
- Conservative Americans PAC's funding came from the American Prosperity Alliance.
Federal Election Commission filings have confirmed Republican interference in Democratic primary elections. Several super PACs, which have spent exclusively in open Democratic primaries, have shown mixed results in recent races. These groups often exploit FEC reporting deadlines to obscure their funding sources before elections. In Maine's 2nd District, spending by Real Change PAC helped boost Matt Dunlap, who won the Democratic nomination. In Nebraska's 2nd District, Lead Left spent to oppose state Sen. John Cavanaugh, who lost his primary. However, the groups were unsuccessful in other races, including spending by Real Change PAC against Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey's 7th District and by Lead Left against Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania's 7th District and to support Maureen Galindo in Texas' 35th District. Conservative Americans PAC, funded by the American Prosperity Alliance, did not immediately respond to inquiries.