But one thing is for sure: he made a mockery of the regulatory framework that already governs crusade money.
A PAC, or political action committee, is a group that is formed to support a candidate by raising and spending money on various activities; it is not supposed to coordinate with the candidate it supports, nor should it be controlled by that candidate.
Super PACs have been a force in caucus politics since 2012. That year marked the first nomination circular after the U. S. Supreme Court, in the Citizens United decision, opened the floodgates to unregulated contributions and spending through outdoor groups. What’s at stake lately is that super PACs can’t contribute directly to the federal candidates’ crusade budget and can’t coordinate with crusades. Since 2012, super PACs have spent freely on advertising, dominating the airwaves in 2016 and 2020.
In the 2024 Iowa caucuses campaign, the DeSantis-backing super PAC staked out some new territory by largely funding the candidate’s ground game, recruiting and training organizers in Iowa and sending them out early to engage Iowa Republicans face-to-face.
But the new territory does not prevent that. Never Back Down seemed to forget about this prohibition on coordinating with the crusade. Super PACs and crusades have developed strategies that allow them to coordinate while preserving the symbol of independence. And yet, curiously, Never Back Down and the crusade seemed determined to have their coordination perfect.
The Super PAC boldly released its memo online outlining a proposed strategy for the candidate ahead of the first Republican debate in August. The goal was never entirely clear, but he managed to send recommendations to the campaign.
Never Back Down appears to have helped pay for the candidate’s air travel, according to The Washington Post.
The Super PAC recruited donors to contribute directly to the campaign. Sponsored candidate occasions where he took care of the food bill for registered participants. The candidate arrived on the bus with the unmistakable slogan “Never back down” plastered to the side. And the super PAC trumpeted that the candidate’s wife had been going door-to-door with Never Back Down pollsters.
In December 2023, the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog group, filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission, charging that the campaign and the super PAC engaged “in an illegal coordination scheme.” A DeSantis spokesman called the charges “baseless.”
This may not be the biggest story in Iowa. But it sends a remarkable and troubling message to federal candidates, Democrats and Republicans: Don’t let the law get in your way.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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