Dem Donors Funded Potentially Illegal Effort To Swing High-Stakes Elections

An organization under investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation received financial backing from a group of Democratic donors, according to The Associated Press.

Patriots Run Project, a group that an AP investigation found is backed by Democratic firms, has recruited conservatives to run against Republicans in competitive House and Senate races. The AP concluded that the recruits, most of whom were retired or disabled, are likely intended to serve as spoiler candidates to worsen the GOP’s odds of retaining the House and flipping the Senate in November.

“Whether it’s congressional or presidential races, this kind of activity is a real problem and it undermines the functioning of democracy,” Ohio State University law professor Edward Foley told the AP.

David Steinglass, a retired private equity fund manager, and his wife, Liz, for instance, have given more than $5 million to Democratic-aligned political committees, according to the AP. The duo, however, contributed to the campaign of Thomas Leager, a self-described “America First” candidate and gun rights advocate who is running for Senate in Wisconsin.

Leager was also one of unindicted co-conspirators in a 2020 plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the AP reported. (Read more from “Dem Donors Funded Potentially Illegal Effort To Swing High-Stakes Elections” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr