"Extremely dangerous": Republicans spark fury with apparent meddling in Dem primaries
Source: www.axios.com ·
Section: politics ·
Bias: Center-Left
· Published: Mon, 15 Jun 2026 23:24:36 GMT
House Democrats are seething over what is, by all indications, a nationwide Republican effort to elevate Democratic primary candidates viewed as more beatable in November.Why it matters: This once-rare practice is becoming commonplace. Democrats did it in 2022 and 2024, with one House Democrat telling Axios it "seems like the new normal."Republican former Rep. Adam Kinzinger told Axios that GOP spending in Democratic primaries is "awful" but was "inevitable" after Democrats adopted the tactic in the Biden years.Democrats, he said, "probably ... taught the Republicans a lesson" in how to meddle in the opposing party's primaries.Driving the news: A trio of obscure super PACs with progressive-sounding names have cropped up in recent months to support more left-leaning or scandal-tarnished candidates in key battleground districts.Lead Left PAC played in Nebraska's 2nd district, Pennsylvania's 7th and — most infamously — Texas' 35th, where it reported spending over $1 million to boost Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist whose comments widely seen as antisemitic became a major flashpoint before she lost in a primary runoff.Real Change PAC spent big to oppose the more moderate Democratic primary candidates in New Jersey's 7th, Maine's 2nd and California's 22nd districts.Progressive Champions PAC is spending at least $1.5 million against centrist Cait Conley in New York's 17th district.Between the lines: Republicans have played coy about their alleged role in these efforts, but there are plenty of clues pointing to their involvement.Lead Left PAC's website — which says the group "stands against MAGA extremists" — includes a link to the GOP fundraising site WinRed in its metadata, according to Punchbowl News.When someone signs up to receive emails from Real Change PAC, they receive a confirmation email from GOP consulting firm Cavalry LLC, which Axios first reported.Progressive Champions PAC and Real Change PAC list the same bank of record on their FEC filings, with both reportedly using the same, Republican-affiliated compliance filing software.What we're hearing: One former House Republican with knowledge of the effort, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details, told Axios this is simply the GOP fighting fire with fire."After Dems ran these fake PACs two years ago, Republicans have entered the fray with the same strategy," the ex-lawmaker told Axios.New York's 17th, they added, is "one of the districts [where] it's being employed."Yes, but: A former House Democrat involved in the 2022 and 2024 elections noted there were "no fake shell Dem PACs from those years" — the spending was directly from well-established Democratic groups.In 2022, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC meddled directly in GOP primaries.In 2024, a group called Duty and Country — which had public ties to Democrats' Senate Majority PAC — supported now-Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in his GOP primary.This tactic is "extremely dangerous," said Kinzinger, because "there are people in Congress now nobody thought could win 10 years ago that now are actually setting policy. … Each side is spending a lot of money to put the worst people in."What they're saying: Democrats "aren't happy" that Republicans are "trying to help the far left," a senior House Democrat told Axios.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has publicly blasted Republicans on the subject, writing in a post on X last week: "Stay the Hell out of our races with your malignant and desperate scheming.""This type of spending is as prevalent as it is awful — by Dems and Republicans," Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) told Axios.The bottom line: This is all made possible in part by campaign finance laws allowing these groups to keep their funding sources hidden until after primary day. "Unfortunately this is the world of the super PAC," said Kinzinger. "It's a symptom of a bigger problem.""If only Congress had the ability do something about these super PACs," Olszewski told Axios sarcastically, adding, "Oh wait."Editor's note: This article was updated to add additional reporting.
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