Scoop: Dems quietly guide super PACs to boost spoiler House candidates

House Democrats are quietly directing allied super PACs to bolster minor candidates in select House races, according to information obtained by Axios. This strategy enables Democrats to influence outside groups in siphoning votes away from Republicans without breaching laws against direct coordination. A review of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's (DCCC) redboxes, publicly accessible webpages outlining what PACs should communicate and whom to target, revealed references to minor candidates in five races.

The DCCC incorporated language in four of these pages to promote a third-party or independent candidate with strong conservative, pro-gun, or anti-government credentials. For example, in Colorado's 5th District, the redbox instructs voters aged under 55 to view ads featuring libertarian Christopher Mitchell as the genuine conservative contender.

Similarly, in Virginia's 2nd District, the redbox advocates for promoting independent J. Matt Baker, a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. In Nevada's 2nd District, the DCCC aims to inform Republican women to view independent candidate Lynn Chapman as someone who has long fought for conservative values. In Alaska's at-large district, where Democrats back independent Bill Hill, the redbox warns voters that Hill is a "fake Democrat" despite his ballot listing, claiming he is an inmate in New York with no clear ties to the state.

In Virginia's 2nd District, the redbox also targets progressive independent candidate Geral D. Bishop Staten, urging PACs to criticize his claims of voting for Donald Trump in 2024 and stating that President Obama is a "puppet and a clown." The redbox system, which emerged in the post-Citizens United era, serves as a way for campaigns to provide messaging guidance to cash-rich outside groups, often lacking local knowledge.

While both parties have been accused of employing this tactic, Democrats have successfully sued to remove a Green Party candidate from Pennsylvania's 7th District who they believed was a GOP plant, while Republicans in Alaska unsuccessfully attempted the same with an unaffiliated candidate.