Democratic megadonors and super PACs are pouring funds into supporting third-party conservative candidates in a strategic attempt to draw votes away from Donald Trump in battleground states. Retire Career Politicians, a super PAC with ties to high-profile Democratic donors, has spent hundreds of thousands on ads promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who dropped out of the race two months ago, as well as Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver and Constitution Party nominee Randall Terry.
In Michigan and Wisconsin, these ads encourage voters to support Kennedy for leaving the “party of war” and to back Oliver, whom they describe as the only candidate to “abolish income taxes.” By promoting Kennedy and Oliver, Democrats are attempting to appeal to small-government conservatives who would otherwise support Trump, a move that could help Vice President Kamala Harris in these critical swing states.
Dem-linked super PAC boosts third-party candidate in Pennsylvania Senate race to block McCormick https://t.co/FBv3qbstJ5
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 30, 2024
This coordinated campaign involves not only Retire Career Politicians but also two other super PACs—Civic Truth Action and Voters of These 50 States of America. Voters of These 50 States spent $1.4 million last week on ads promoting Oliver in Michigan. Meanwhile, Civic Truth Action has been running ads for both Oliver and Terry, the latter of whom they portray as a staunch anti-abortion advocate, hoping to pull pro-life voters toward Terry rather than Trump.
Evidence for Impact, a nonprofit linked to Democratic campaign lawyer Marc Elias, has funneled millions to these PACs. The organization provided $2 million to Voters of These 50 States and $4.3 million to Civic Truth Action, with both groups now focusing efforts on promoting candidates with appeal to conservative voters. Elias has faced criticism in the past for similar tactics, including his involvement with the Steele dossier in 2016.
🚨 MORE SKETCHY MAILERS TARGETING REPUBLICANS 🚨
A Republican in Michigan sent me this ad for a third party POTUS candidate—clearly trying to siphon votes away from Trump in Michigan
This is from Civic Truth Action https://t.co/usBcL283Ae pic.twitter.com/oREae5YqF1
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) October 30, 2024
Critics argue that Democrats are using this network of PACs to prop up candidates they don’t genuinely support, solely to siphon conservative votes. Retire Career Politicians has received significant contributions from labor unions, including United Food and Commercial Workers, as well as Democratic donors like Ron Conway and Donald Sussman. As the election nears, many are questioning the ethics of using such tactics to influence voter turnout in key states.
