A conservative nonprofit has been secretly funding super PACs with liberal-sounding names to influence Democratic primaries across the country. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Lead Left PAC, Real Change PAC, and Blue California PAC received millions of dollars from Conservative Americans PAC, which is funded by the American Prosperity Alliance, a Republican nonprofit with ties to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Meddling in Democratic Primaries

The super PACs used the funds to support candidates perceived as weaker contenders in the general election, in an effort to engineer more favorable matchups for Republicans. In Texas’ 35th District, Lead Left PAC spent over $750,000 on advertisements boosting Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist and housing advocate who lost the primary runoff by nearly 30 points to Johnny Garcia.

Conservative Americans PAC acknowledged its role in seeking to shape the Democratic primaries, with spokesperson Samantha Bullock stating that Republicans are ‘leveling the playing field’ after over a decade of Democrats meddling in their primaries. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee condemned the tactics, claiming that Republican efforts have backfired in the races.

Campaign Finance Loopholes

The campaign finance system allows outside groups like these super PACs to register with the FEC in the weeks leading up to an election and spend unlimited amounts before they are required to file their first reports detailing fundraising and spending. This has enabled groups like Lead Left PAC to mask the source of their funding and intervene aggressively in primaries without tipping their hands to voters.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.