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By Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire 

Democrats are sounding the alarm on mystery super PACs with ties to Republicans that are meddling in Democratic primaries.

“Clearly Republicans know they can’t win in the midterms,” said Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, “so they are reverting to trying to rig the system … they are playing in primaries and trying to do so in a secretive way.”

A pop-up super PAC called Lead Left PAC and others like it have poured money into a handful of Democratic primaries, in most cases propping up the more progressive contender, who Republicans believe will be easier to beat in swing districts. 

One of the candidates the PAC promoted was sex therapist Maureen Galindo, a Texas Democrat with a history of antisemitic statements. Galindo lost last month’s runoff to sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia, the DCCC’s choice.

The PAC has not disclosed its donors, but Punchbowl News reported that its website’s metadata includes a link to WinRed, the GOP’s online fundraising platform.

Another stealth super group, Real Change PAC, is boosting state Auditor Matt Dunlap in the open 2nd District in Maine. Among Dunlap’s opponents in next week’s primary is the DCCC-backed Joe Baldacci.

While Democrats have spoken out against the practice, there is apparently little they can do to stop it — other than publicly calling it out.

“It highlights how important it is that we have campaign finance reform and make sure that there’s transparency and disclosure, but the No. 1 thing we can do is to put some light on it … and continue to talk directly to voters about our candidates,’’ DelBene said.

In a hyper-partisan era, both parties are scouring for an edge to help them secure majorities in the House and Senate. In 2022, Democrats elevated a far-right candidate in a Michigan swing seat.

And this year, Republicans are accusing Democrats of deploying a novel strategy to try to confuse voters in the Alaska Senate race, where one of Sen. Dan Sullivan’s 15 competitors happens to have the same name as him. 

According to The Anchorage Daily News, Dan J. Sullivan, an educator, joins a Senate field that includes the GOP incumbent as well as former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. 

“He’s purposely trying to trick my constituents to rig the election for Peltola,’’ the senator told The Associated Press, referring to the other Dan Sullivan. He also threatened legal action.

A spokesman for Peltola’s campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan’s campaign.

Starting gate

Primary day roundup: There were wins for both wings of the Democratic Party in New Jersey on Tuesday, with Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot who has drawn comparisons to Gov. Mikie Sherrill, securing the nomination to challenge GOP Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr. in the battleground 7th District. Meanwhile, in the deep blue 12th District, Adam Hamawy, a plastic surgeon and Army veteran backed by progressives, won a crowded primary and is poised to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman next year.

Dispatch from the Heartland: Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who bills himself as a consensus-builder able to win over Republicans, won the Democratic nomination for the state’s open Senate seat. He’ll face Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in November. In the governor’s race, three-term Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra lost to Zach Lahn, who had the backing of the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Podcast plug: Roll Call Editor-in-Chief Jason Dick spoke with Inside Elections’ Nathan L. Gonzales about this week’s primary results on the Political Theater podcast.

Tough road: Feenstra isn’t the only House Republican from a safe red seat who was thwarted in an attempt to win higher office. South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson also came up short Tuesday in his bid for governor. They join Texas conservative firebrand Chip Roy, who lost his bid for state attorney general; Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished third in the Lone Star State’s Senate primary; and Georgia Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, who failed to qualify for that state’s Senate runoff election.

Pelosi’s power: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is retiring from elective office, but she remains a political force, endorsing and raising money for dozens of Democrats. Among those receiving the San Francisco Democrat’s blessing is a contender for her seat: city supervisor Connie Chan, who qualified for the November ballot in Tuesday’s primary.

Redistricting roundup: Louisiana adopted a new congressional map that eliminates one of two majority-Black districts that elected Democrats in 2024. Under the new map, which Gov. Jeff Landry signed after passage by the legislature, Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields was effectively drawn out of his district. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court allowed Alabama to move forward with its own new map, clearing the way for the state to use one originally adopted in 2023 that has since been tied up in litigation, Michael Macagnone reports.

Retiring: Florida Rep. Frederica S. Wilson announced she won’t seek reelection this year, opening up a deep blue seat based in Miami Gardens.

ICYMI 

#MESEN: Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for Maine’s Senate race, was in D.C. this week to meet with Senate Democrats after reports revealed he had sent sexually explicit texts to other women while married and that he had an account on the anonymous messaging platform Kik. The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner told Senate supporters that additional credible allegations against him shouldn’t be expected. Platner also met with Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer. Platner’s campaign circulated a memo Wednesday showing a survey taken early this week found him with a 4-point lead over Sen. Susan Collins and said the campaign had “seen some of the strongest fundraising of the entire campaign” in recent days.

Red to Blue: The DCCC added four candidates on Thursday to its Red to Blue program: New Jersey’s Bennett; San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who advanced to the general election in California’s 48th District and will face Republican Jim Desmond for an open seat; political strategist Denise Powell, who recently won the Democratic nomination in Nebraska’s 2nd District; and Navy veteran Bale Dalton, who is still locked in a primary seeking to challenge Florida Rep. Cory Mills in the 7th District. 

Ad watch: House Majority Forward, the nonprofit arm of House Democrats’ main super PAC, launched an eight-figure ad campaign focused on rising costs, with initial ads running across Pennsylvania battleground districts. One ad features Trump saying he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” and seeks to tie Rep. Rob Bresnahan to the president’s economic agenda. The ads so far are running across four Pennsylvania battleground districts and in Michigan Rep. Tom Barrett’s district. Across the aisle, the Senate Leadership Fund, Senate Republicans’ super PAC, released an ad calling Iowa Senate nominee Turek “America’s favorite liberal,” tying him to DEI initiatives and slamming him for opposing Republican-backed tax cuts.  

#FL20: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he hadn’t yet decided whether to endorse Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has drawn criticism from Black local leaders after she said she would run in the newly redrawn 20th District. It’s notable from Jeffries, who nearly always backs incumbents, but underscores the moment Black Democrats face after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act this spring. 

#TXSEN: National Republicans appeared to begin to mend fences with Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton, who was in Washington this week. Paxton filed paperwork to create a joint fundraising committee with Senate Republicans’ campaign arm after the National Republican Senatorial Committee had backed Sen. John Cornyn in the primary.

Nathan’s notes

Cornyn’s loss in last week’s primary runoff election shows that some election rules still apply, Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales of Inside Elections writes. Early polls of the Texas Senate primary had shown Cornyn trailing Paxton, never a good sign for an incumbent, as it can be difficult to change longtime voter opinion. 

What we’re reading 

Dems divided: A Democratic primary in New York’s 7th District has divided the progressive base in Brooklyn and Queens, with retiring Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez backing Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani backing state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, The New York Times reports. 

Steak ’n Shake takes a victory lap: The Midwestern fast food franchise is celebrating Lahn’s victory in Iowa Tuesday, according to USA Today. The burger chain, which serves up grass-fed, grass-finished burgers, Coca-Cola made with cane sugar and beef-tallow fries, has aligned itself with the MAHA movement and had endorsed Lahn.

He won a primary, now he wants to build a movement: Fresh off his victory in last month’s Democratic primary in a deep blue House district in Philadelphia, Chris Rabb is now turning his focus on boosting other progressives, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Key race: #ME02

Candidates: Four Democrats face off in Tuesday’s primary for Maine’s 2nd District: state Sen. Joe Baldacci, state Auditor Matt Dunlap, social worker Paige Loud and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood. The winner is set to face former Gov. Paul LePage, who is unopposed in seeking the Republican nomination. 

Why it matters: The 2nd District seat is open after Democratic Rep. Jared Golden announced his retirement last year and is a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans. Golden had repeatedly won competitive reelection battles since flipping the seat in 2018, despite Trump carrying the district by 9 points in 2024. 

Cash dash: Wood, who initially launched a Senate campaign last year, has led the fundraising race, bringing in $5.7 million as of May 20, including $400,000 in loans. But he has had a high burn rate and had $423,000 on hand for the final weeks of the campaign. Dunlap had raised $931,000, including $10,000 in loans, and had $93,000 for the final stretch. Baldacci raised $530,000, including $49,000 in loans, and had $128,000 banked. Loud raised $50,000 and had $2,800 on hand. LePage, who hasn’t had to contend with a primary campaign, had raised $1.9 million and had $1.2 million in the bank. Federal Election Commission filings show that outside groups also started to engage in the race last month, with Project 218 spending $542,000 to support Baldacci and National Nurses United for Patient Protection spending $51,000 to support Dunlap. Another group, Real Change PAC, which reportedly has ties to Republicans, spent $402,000 to oppose Baldacci. 

Backers: The DCCC waded into the race last month, backing Baldacci. California Rep. Ro Khanna and former Maine Rep. Mike Michaud are among those backing Dunlap. Reps. Raul Ruiz, Veronica Escobar and Robert Garcia endorsed Wood. 

What they’re saying: The Maine Morning Star reports that the Democratic primary for the 2nd District has been overshadowed by the state’s Senate race and open gubernatorial race. In ads, Baldacci has emphasized affordability and touted his experience in the state Senate and on the Bangor City Council. Wood has run on an anti-corruption message. Dunlap, meanwhile, ran an ad touting his ties to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Loud has emphasized her status as a political newcomer and the only woman in the race.

Terrain: The district covers most of Maine north of Portland and Augusta. Inside Elections rates the race as Likely Republican. 

Wild card: Maine uses ranked choice voting for federal races, meaning voters rank candidates in order of preference and if no candidate earns more than 50 percent of the vote, another round of counting continues until a candidate has a majority.

Coming up

Primaries continue on Tuesday, with voters in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina poised to pick their nominees for this fall’s races. 

Photo finish 

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