Millions Are Invested in the Biden Campaign by Dark Money Group?

Paresh Jadhav

10 months ago

After several missteps, Turning Point USA is finally making its presence known in this year’s midterm elections. They have spent millions supporting Democratic candidates but remain secret about who their donors are.

AIPAC and Israel’s war in Gaza. To circumvent disclosure rules, this group uses a hybrid PAC structure.

Table of Contents

Toggle

Future Forward USA Action

Future Forward USA Action, or FF PAC for short, is an integral element in Joe Biden’s reelection bid, raising and spending millions for the campaign. Led by Chauncey McLean – who revolutionized how ads were purchased during 2012 election cycle – Future Forward USA Action raises and spends millions for Biden.

The campaign, shared with POLITICO, highlights Biden’s administration’s fight against Big Oil and Pharma to lower prescription drug costs and create good-paying jobs – something TV spots in Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin can only do.

Ad campaign is a milestone for this group, which in 2020 spent $151 million on independent expenditures during the presidential race – more than any Carey Committee and surpassing even pro-Trump super PAC America First Action’s performance as one of Democratic-aligned groups that year. A substantial part of its funding comes from sources that do not disclose themselves publicly.

Unite the Country

The new super PAC was established in October and on Friday will make its first required disclosure under Federal Election Commission rules. Its organizers include a nonprofit CEO as well as former campaign officials from Joe Biden’s failed 2008 and 2012 presidential bids.

Bain Capital executive Joshua Bekenstein and his wife, an activist supporting liberal causes, were the biggest April donors for this group. Additionally, other big-dollar Democratic fundraisers including real estate mogul Stewart W. Bainum and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman made contributions.

The money will help finance an ad campaign that targets Donald Trump as a threat to voters’ hard-fought rights and freedoms, according to a statement issued by the group. It will go up against ads sponsored by Sanders, Warren and Amy Klobuchar; also on tap are events targeted toward black voters and tailored towards battleground states, with series of small gatherings for Latino voters also happening throughout this election season.

Biden for President

With Democratic enthusiasm soaring and concerns diminishing about Joe Biden running for president at 80, former president has made protecting democracy his central message and denounced Donald Trump for allowing radical voices to influence national affairs.

Between July and September, his campaign and related committees raised $71 million, more than any of his Republican rivals but less than what Trump and other top Republicans raised during that same three-month period.

Small donors — who typically contribute up to $200 at once and are essential in any presidential campaign — have provided much of the funds. The campaign has increased this donor pool through online fundraising contests and counterprogramming against Republican debates and events hosted by Trump, while also increasing their number of sustaining donors from 130,000 at the beginning of the quarter to over 1.4 million now.

Biden for America

Biden is campaigning on an economic plan that includes creating jobs through government aid to rural areas and expanding access to affordable child care. On foreign policy issues, he pledges to restore relations between allies as well as join global efforts against climate change mitigation.

Trump also promises to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and end America’s longest war while restoring her global leadership role. To reduce deficits he proposes raising taxes on households earning over $400,000 and businesses.

Democratic operatives fear that by delaying investing in formal campaign infrastructure, their team is already falling behind in its effort to reach Black and Latino voters. According to them, these groups respond best when engagement from campaigns and groups continues throughout the year, rather than an abrupt burst of money at election time. For instance, Biden’s rating in Mexico remains significantly higher than Trump’s but below that of Obama.