Sen. Jeff Merkley joined a growing number of Democrats crying foul after a powerful Democratic super PAC picked sides in the party’s 6th District primary in Oregon.
The political action committee, House Majority PAC, will spend roughly $1 million in advertising to support Carrick Flynn, a first-time candidate whose campaign has been buoyed by millions in outside spending. The move is unusual, as the Pelosi-affiliated PAC rarely injects itself into competitive primaries.
HOUSE SUPER PAC ANNOUNCES $102 MILLION DEMOCRATIC AD BLITZ
“I haven’t endorsed in this race, but it’s flat-out wrong for House Majority PAC to be weighing in when we have multiple strong candidates vying for the nomination,” Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, tweeted on Tuesday.
Six of the nine Democrats running for the seat released a joint statement on Monday calling the move a “slap in the face to every Democratic voter and volunteer in Oregon.” The same day, BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, condemned the ad buy, offering up state Rep. Andrea Salinas as the best candidate in a district that is 21% Hispanic.
“Right now, Democrats should be doubling-down on their investments to empower Latino and Latina candidates like Andrea who are running strong campaigns focused on issues that matter to communities of color and working families,” it said in a statement.
The $1 million in advertising is not the first outside help the Flynn campaign has received. Protect Our Future PAC, a group connected to cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, has spent nearly $6 million supporting Flynn, an Oregon native and expert on pandemic preparedness.
In an interview with HuffPost, Salinas implied that Bankman-Fried’s fortune played a role in House Majority PAC’s support for Flynn, echoing speculation by at least one other Democratic campaign in the race.
“Why is this happening, and where is this money coming from?” Salinas asked.
“Sam has not been quiet about his goal to influence Washington, D.C., when it comes to the cryptocurrency industry,” she said. “So one could make a connection there.”
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House Majority PAC defended its decision to support Flynn in the primary, which will take place on May 17.
“House Majority PAC is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to secure a Democratic House Majority in 2022, and we believe supporting Carrick Flynn is a step towards accomplishing that goal,” the group’s communications director said in a statement.
Last month, the super PAC announced $102 million in ad buys that will be spent in the final months of the midterm election cycle as Democrats fight to retain their razor-thin majority in the House. The 6th District seat, created due to Oregon’s population growth in the 2020 census, is rated as “likely Democratic” by the Cook Political Report.
