GOP operatives are deeply suspicious that a mysterious new super PAC is working to sabotage Republicans in tight House and Senate races by propping up Libertarian candidates.
The Save Western Culture PAC, which appears to be targeting the Maryland and Texas Senate races and at least a dozen equally close House contests, registered with the Federal Election Commission on Oct. 11.
Its late-stage FEC registration means that there is no public information available about its donors — and there very likely won’t be before the Nov. 5 election, further raising suspicions, including over whether it could be trying to siphon votes from GOP candidates. Details about its spending are also limited.
“Every election cycle, national Democrats set up dark-money groups designed to confuse voters and prop up third-party candidates who have no chance at winning,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee Communications Director Mike Berg to The Post.
“This seems to be more of the same, and voters should reject this disingenuous tactic.”
The Post attempted to call Save Western Culture PAC’s listed treasurer, Seth Martin, but the number on the FEC file was no longer in service. Additionally, The Post reached out to the group’s email address on file, which had the username “Libertyordeath2024,” but didn’t receive a response.
FEC records indicate that Save Western Culture has relied on Apex Growth Strategies, Zenith Strategy and Precision Ads 360 for its various ad and flier campaigns. Numerous Post attempts to get a hold of representatives from each of those firms were unsuccessful.
Based on the limited data that is available, the nascent super PAC appears to have shelled out roughly $1 million thus far.
Targeted House races are Arizona District 6, Colorado District 8, Iowa Districts 1 and 3, Michigan District 7, Montana District 1, North Carolina District 1, New York District 17 and 19, Oregon District 5, Pennsylvania District 8 and Virginia District 2.
Almost all of them are ranked toss-ups by The Cook Political Report’s election handicapper.
Given that control of the House of Representatives is widely seen as anyone’s game, the allegedly shady super PAC’s gambit could very well tip the scales of power in the lower chamber.
Limited FEC disclosures show the PAC’s amount of spending for candidates it has “supported or opposed,” without specifying whether the spending was intended to help or hurt that aspirant.
In some cases, the PAC lists Republican candidates, while in others, it has listed Libertarian hopefuls.
But so far, there is no evidence of the PAC spending money to help Republican candidates in any way.
In Maryland, where former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is facing an uphill battle to flip the open Senate seat there red, Save Western Culture PAC has been pushing fliers promoting his Libertarian foe, Mike Scott, who frequently rips into both parties.
Some of the mailers have touted Scott’s conservative stances and claimed that he would support pardoning former President Donald Trump, though it’s not fully clear that he would.
“We need a senator who will uphold our conservative values,” reads a Save Western Culture mailer backing Scott.
Scott told The Post that he knows “nothing about” the Save Western Culture PAC.
“They could be friends who want to see me thrive and take votes from Mr. Hogan. They could be linking me to Mr. Trump in order to deter Democrats who want an alternative to Ms. Alsobrooks,” he said.
“I’m the moderate in this race.”
While Scott has espoused some conservative positions, he also has been fiercely critical of Trump, calling him an “authoritarian statist.” Scott has also repeatedly described the Israel-Hamas war as “genocide.”
Hogan is perhaps the most prominent Republican critic of Trump running this cycle. He’s also been the GOP’s best shot at flipping a Maryland Senate seat in decades.
“Lying to voters while asking for their trust is a slap in the face to our most sacred democratic processes,” Hogan campaign spokeswoman Blake Kernen said of the Save Western Culture PAC.
“We hope this close election is decided by the issues that matter most to Marylanders — not a smear campaign based on lies that resorts to the tacky political gamesmanship everyone hates.”
Some campaigns haven’t felt too much of an impact from Save Western Culture PAC’s efforts just yet, but there are growing concerns about it.
In Michigan District 7, where the PAC appears to be targeting Republican Tom Barrett, the former state senator’s allies say they’re keeping an eye on it.
“We are very concerned. They started spending money last week and are clearly trying to prop up the Libertarian candidate to take vote share from Tom Barrett,” a strategist aligned with Barrett told The Post.
In North Carolina’s 1st District, PAC-funded fliers praised Libertarian hopeful Tom Bailey and slammed Republican Laurie Buckhout as a “RINO” — or “Republican In Name Only.”
“This November, vote for Tom Bailey, because RINO Laurie Buckhout is not one of us,” a flier read.
She is locked in a tough campaign against incumbent Rep. Don Davis (D-NC).
Democrats’ history with the spoiler strategy
There is a somewhat extensive history of left-leaning groups mounting subversion campaigns aimed at elevating third-party candidates to siphon votes away from Republicans. At times, left-leaning groups have meddled in primaries and sought to elevate more extreme candidates to weaken the GOP in a general election.
In 2020, for example, Republicans cried foul when the Really American PAC began spending money on billboards attacking GOP Senate hopefuls from the right.
At that time, it was clear the funding stemmed from liberal sources such as the Democrats’ ActBlue fundraising platform.
“Perdue/Loeffler Didn’t Deliver For Trump, Don’t Deliver For Them,” a billboard read, referring to Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in Georgia that year.
After the pair’s subsequent defeats, and thus the Democratic takeover of the Senate, some GOP operatives pinned the losses in part on those types of antics.
This election cycle, there have also been concerns about donor David Steinglass, a longtime backer of Democrats and transgender rights, opening up his coffers to very conservative independent candidates in key races.
