Dems and GOP quietly bankroll dozens of third-party spoilers

More than 40 third-party candidates are being backed by super PACs in key House and Senate races, a total of over $16.5 million has been spent on their behalf. These groups, many with links to major parties, have spent an average of $375,000 more than the candidates they support. More than half of these candidates have not disclosed any financial information to the Federal Election Commission.

While this may seem insignificant in comparison to the billions spent on national elections, it could significantly impact races with narrow margins, potentially determining the balance of power in Congress. Two obscure groups, Buckeye Freedom PAC and Alaska Values PAC, have led spending in Ohio and Alaska respectively, both supporting self-identified Republicans.

In Ohio, they are backing Libertarian Bill Redpath against Republican Sen. John Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown. In Alaska, they support Gerald Heikes, a Republican, against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola. The Peltola campaign denies any involvement in this race. Other notable spenders include Principled Patriots PAC, which has supported right-leaning and Libertarian candidates in 15 battleground races, and Our Heritage Matters, which has spent nearly $3.7 million in 24+ races supporting third-party Libertarian candidates.

This trend of super PACs funding third-party candidates has raised concerns about potential vote-siphoning and the recruitment of candidates with shared names to confuse voters.