Democrats fight back as outside spending scrambles their primaries

Democrats are scrambling to regain control of their message after outside groups flooded the party’s first round of midterm primaries with campaign cash, AP reported April 10.

In AP’s account, Democratic pollster Zac McCrary described a race environment in which outside spending has reshaped the attention and advertising around Democratic nominations. McCrary said the primaries have “become proxy wars, and the candidates are almost afterthoughts in larger skirmishes,” and he added that the shift goes far beyond normal campaign growth.

McCrary told AP, “It’s definitely a brave new world,” and said, “We’re not talking about doubling of campaign expenditures. We’re talking about 10 times or 20 times more.” AP reported that organizations affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, along with cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence-related interests, have dominated the airwaves in some early contests.

Democrats sought to respond at the party level. AP reported that at its spring meeting in New Orleans, the Democratic National Committee voted to condemn the surge in spending. The resolution process reflected a dispute inside the party: AP said some members wanted language that condemned specific groups, including AIPAC, which AP described as having become especially controversial amid the war in Gaza and for aggressive campaign tactics. Instead, AP said the DNC members voted for a separate resolution that “condemns the influence of unregulated dark money in Democratic primary elections.”

AP reported that Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement, “We had various resolutions that focused on different industries and groups, and instead of going one-by-one, we passed a blanket repudiation.” Martin’s statement was part of the party’s effort to frame the spending surge as a broader dark-money problem rather than a contest focused on one set of groups.

Party officials and Democrats running for office said outside spending has also sharpened internal tensions. AP reported that some candidates who lost blamed special interests for derailing their campaigns, while candidates still seeking nominations courted voters by denouncing deep-pocketed outside groups. AP also said even some candidates who benefited from the spending expressed concern.

Dan Sena, a former executive director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, warned that the shift could have longer-term consequences for Democrats even if the party wins seats in November. AP reported Sena said, “All that’s been completely smashed now,” adding that outside spending could damage the party in the long run. He also said, referring to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, “You’re going to hand Jeffries a caucus that is divided.”

AP reported that outside money in U.S. House races has largely targeted districts friendly to Democrats this cycle, meaning primaries could determine who ultimately wins in November. As one example, AP cited Illinois, where there was more than $125 million in outside spending across five open Democratic primaries, and AP said outside spending exceeded candidate spending in all but one of those races.

AP also said federal data point to continued spending at high levels: it reported that almost 40 seats have already seen more than $1 million in outside spending, based on Federal Election Commission filings. In Illinois, AP reported that AdImpact’s tracking showed the top three outside spenders in U.S. House races were groups affiliated with AIPAC, followed by Fairshake, which AP described as cryptocurrency-affiliated.

The episode is also playing out as a wider intraparty argument over what Democrats should do about political money. AP reported that the DNC meeting marked another chapter in longstanding disputes between progressives and party establishment figures. AP said progressives wanted official party language requiring Democratic presidential contenders to reject money from dark-money groups or super PACs that do not have to disclose donors.

AP reported that Our Revolution co-chair Larry Cohen said, “It’s necessary that we actually have the party do something on this issue, not just say something.” AP described the resolution that passed at the DNC meeting as viewed by progressives as a step toward adopting that approach, while some Democrats warned against weakening candidates ahead of general elections.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, warned about constraining Democrats in November. AP reported Gallego said, “Provided that we don’t handcuff ourselves in the general elections — because if the Republicans are going to use dark money in general elections, we should be using our money in general elections, too — if you provide an even playing field, I think then that’s fine.” He added, “But we just can’t be handcuffing ourselves in the general to lose races.”

AP reported that Ro Khanna, a progressive and possible Democratic presidential contender who co-chaired Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, called for stronger restrictions and framed them as a test for presidential candidates. AP reported Khanna said, “We should eliminate any super PAC in a Democratic primary. And I think every presidential candidate in 2028 should pledge that they will not have any super PAC spending in a Democratic primary,” adding, “That should be a litmus test. If you’re not willing to take that pledge, then you’re part of the problem.”