A shadowy Democrat group has boosted fringe candidates to siphon votes from swing district Republicans, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Many unorthodox candidates have run against battleground Republicans, all of whom the same shadowy group, Patriots Run Project, has backed.
The group has recruited supporters of former President Donald Trump to run as independent candidates in swing districts in Nebraska, Montana, Virginia, Minnesota, and Iowa. Many of the candidates have described themselves as retired, disabled, or both.
The AP found in its investigation that some of its funding originates from Democrat consulting firms.
Joseph Weiderien, a strong Trump supporter, said, “At that time I was thinking, well, it would be nice to be in Congress and get to work with President Trump. It looks like it’s a dirty trick now.”
Weiderien said he had been manipulated into running against Rep. Zach Nunn, a first-term Republican in Iowa. He has since withdrawn his candidacy.
Nunn said in a statement on Monday:
First, they stole my military records. Now, they’re trying to steal this election. As a Colonel, in the Air Force, I raised my right hand and swore an oath to protect and defend our democracy. I am outraged to see anyone prey on hardworking Iowwans or deceive voters.
This will not change my mission to deliver results for Iowa families and hold bad actors accountable — not only for their deceptive actions, but for their failed policies that make life harder for all Iowans.
Other Republicans in swing districts — such as Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-IA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) — have also been targets of this operation.
Patriots Run Project ran several pro-Trump pages and ads on Facebook that used apocalyptic rhetoric to attack incumbent Republicans and urge outsiders to run for office.
“We need American Patriots like YOU to stand for freedom with President Trump and take back control from the globalist elites by running for office,” one such ad stated.
The project would then connect the person, once recruited, with operatives through text messages, emails, and phone calls, informing him or her how to run for Congress.
Facebook has since taken the pages, and the tech platform said it received $48,000 for the group’s ads.
The scheme appears to originate from Democrat consulting firms, according to the AP:
Sole Strategies has earned nearly $1.8 million over the past four years working primarily for Democratic candidates and causes, including numerous Democratic House members and candidates, records show. Jones said Common Sense America gathered signatures for her campaign.
A draft contract shows the firm was set to receive $3,300 for collecting signatures for Bera in Nebraska. A philanthropist listed on the document as the proposed buyer of those services is Carolyn Cohen of Nyack, New York, a registered Democrat who has a history of supporting liberal causes. “She doesn’t comment on her political donations,” her partner, Larry Miller, said.
Jason Torchinsky, a prominent Republican election lawyer and former Justice Department official, said, “Given what is described, there could be a wide variety of federal and state criminal violations.”
Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, said the project looks “unethical;” however, he said “it is hard to say whether any laws have been broken, which would depend not only on the facts, but also the statutes and precedents under state law.”
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Press Secretary Will Reinert said in a statement on Monday, “Democrats’ shady scheme is a threat to democracy.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
