INDIANAPOLIS – A new report today from the Indy Star shows how Congressman Todd Young has received more than $24 million from outside groups for his campaign. When Todd Young’s political career is propped up by cash poured in from billionaires like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch brothers, it makes him accountable to his big donors and the special interests—not to Hoosiers.
Here are some key points from the report:
– Young “has benefited disproportionately from the influx of cash from outside Indiana. Outside groups have spent $24.3 million to help Republican Todd Young.”
– … “experts say it could also make it more difficult for Young to operate independently in Washington if he wins. That’s because outside groups like the ones funding his campaign can raise money in unlimited amounts, while donors to candidate campaigns can only give up to $2,700 per election.”
– “Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC with close ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell […] has spent more than $10.6 million to help get Young elected, dwarfing the $4.7 million Young has spent from his own campaign account. Almost all of the group’s spending went to television advertisements attacking Bayh.”
– “The group is funded in large part by GOP mega donors and groups that don’t disclose their donors. Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife contributed $20 million to the group in August. One Nation, a related nonprofit organization that does not have to disclose its donors, contributed $11 million to the group earlier this month.”
– … “it is likely to make the candidates who benefit from that spending feel obligated to support the positions of the group’s donors and its leaders, experts say.”
– “‘Clearly McConnell is going to be looking for Young’s vote on issues the party takes a clear stand on, and it’s going to be hard for Young to ignore the pressure McConnell puts on him,’ said Joe Losco, co-director of the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University.”
– “Three groups backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch have together spent more than $3 million to help Young.”
Read the full article here.
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