
A series of ads promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Michigan recently appeared, despite his withdrawal from the presidential race two months ago. The YouTube ads, urging voters to support Kennedy, were not funded by pro-Kennedy groups, but rather by a Democratic super PAC called Retire Career Politicians. This group, along with other Democratic-aligned super PACs, is spending heavily on third-party candidates like Kennedy, Libertarian Chase Oliver, and anti-abortion advocate Randall Terry in a bid to divert votes from Donald Trump in crucial swing states.
Campaign finance filings show Retire Career Politicians has spent $135,000 on ads for Kennedy and another $170,000 promoting Oliver. With ads targeting small-government conservatives, Oliver is painted as the only candidate who would “abolish income taxes” and “dismantle the nanny state.” Democratic strategists appear to be supporting these third-party candidates in Michigan and Wisconsin, both essential to Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to victory in the upcoming election.
Dem-linked super PAC boosts third-party candidate in Pennsylvania Senate race to block McCormick https://t.co/FBv3qbstJ5
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 30, 2024
This coordinated effort includes other super PACs such as Voters of These 50 States of America and Civic Truth Action, which together have spent millions promoting candidates likely to peel off conservative votes. Civic Truth Action received $55,000 from Retire Career Politicians to air pro-Kennedy ads, while Voters of These 50 States spent $1.4 million backing Oliver in Michigan.
A nonprofit named Evidence for Impact, linked to attorney Marc Elias — a key player in Democratic campaign strategy — has been funneling funds to these super PACs. Evidence for Impact provided $2 million to Voters of These 50 States and $4.3 million to Civic Truth Action, while also contributing to Future Forward PAC, a major funder of the Harris campaign.
🚨 MORE SKETCHY MAILERS TARGETING REPUBLICANS 🚨
A Republican in Michigan sent me this ad for a third party POTUS candidate—clearly trying to siphon votes away from Trump in Michigan
This is from Civic Truth Action https://t.co/usBcL283Ae pic.twitter.com/oREae5YqF1
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) October 30, 2024
In recent weeks, Civic Truth Action has spent over $1.5 million backing Oliver and more than $2.4 million on fliers supporting Randall Terry, urging pro-life conservatives to vote for him as a stand against abortion. Critics argue that these tactics demonstrate Democrats’ strategic focus on splitting conservative votes, while legal experts question the ethical implications of these maneuvers as Election Day approaches.