Outside groups flooded Democrats' first round of midterm primaries with campaign cash, leaving candidates sidelined in their own races and pushing the Democratic National Committee to advance a resolution at its New Orleans spring meeting to condemn the surge of spending. A final vote is expected on Friday. **Who Runs the Show** Organizations affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence have dominated the airwaves, sometimes leaving candidates on the sidelines of their own campaigns. That is the basic shape of the operation: moneyed blocs with their own agendas drowning out the people supposedly running for office. Democratic pollster Zac McCrary said the primaries have "become proxy wars, and the candidates are almost afterthoughts in larger skirmishes." He also said, "It’s definitely a brave new world," and added, "We’re not talking about doubling of campaign expenditures. We’re talking about 10 times or 20 times more." Candidates who lost have blamed special interests for derailing their campaigns. Others still in the running are courting voters by denouncing deep-pocketed outside groups. Even some beneficiaries of the spending have expressed concern. Dan Sena, a former executive director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said party organizations are no longer the ones with the clout to push favored candidates. He said, "All that’s been completely smashed now." He warned that even if Democrats regain control of the U.S. House, outside spending could damage the party in the long run, saying, "You’re going to hand Jeffries a caucus that is divided." **The Money Flood** So far this cycle, outside money in U.S. House races has largely targeted districts particularly friendly to Democrats, meaning the primaries will likely determine who will win the general election in November. After a record number of House members retired this year, many of those seats opened up for the first time in years, drawing dozens of Democratic hopefuls. In Illinois, there was more than $125 million in outside spending across five open Democratic primaries. In all but one of those congressional races, the outside spending exceeded candidate spending. Almost 40 seats have already seen more than $1 million in outside spending, according to Federal Election Commission filings. In Illinois, the top three spenders in U.S. House races were groups affiliated with AIPAC, according to AdImpact, followed by the cryptocurrency-affiliated Fairshake. AIPAC was founded to support strong ties between the U.S. and Israel, a particularly controversial issue as Democratic hostility toward Israel rises over the war in Gaza. Some DNC members wanted to call out AIPAC’s role in primaries, but the final resolution did not. DNC 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." **Reform Meets the Wall** The latest DNC meeting marks another chapter in longstanding disputes between progressives and the party establishment. Progressives want the party to adopt official language that all Democratic presidential contenders oppose money from dark-money groups, or super PACs that aren’t required to disclose their donors. Larry Cohen, co-chair of Our Revolution and a progressive group founded by independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, said, "It’s necessary that we actually have the party do something on this issue, not just say something." The resolution being advanced at the DNC meeting in New Orleans is viewed by progressives as a step toward that goal. However, some Democrats warn against weakening their candidates when facing a Republican Party that’s flush with cash. Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, 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." The DNC resolutions would not stop outside groups from surging funds into primary contests or general elections. Rep. Ro Khanna, a progressive and possible Democratic presidential contender who co-chaired Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, 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." He added, "That should be a litmus test. If you’re not willing to take that pledge, then you’re part of the problem." For now, the machinery keeps humming. The party can condemn the flood, debate resolutions, and posture about reform, but the outside cash still sets the terms of the contest. The candidates are left reacting to forces that are not answerable to the people voting, only to the donors and the institutions that move the money.
