In Illinois, a Deluge of Corporate PAC Ads Sold Populism. Wait, What?
THE New York Times reported a result that “a moderate former lawmaker defeated a left-wing rival.” That would be news to voters in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, where AI industry titans bankrolled an innocuous-looking Think Big PAC to boost former House member Melissa Bean, once dubbed “Wall Street’s favorite Democrat,” with more than $1 million in ads claiming Bean challenged Wall Street banks, defended Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and fought to expand access to health care – a radical change from his actual reputation before his ouster from Congress. in 2010. The fundraising avalanche helped her win with just 31.8 percent of the vote, while her more progressive rivals split the remaining votes and lacked comparable on-air resources.
In the neighboring 2nd Congressional District, supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders or New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani could plausibly have approved the $4 million in ads run by AIPAC-funded Affordable Chicago Now. The PAC credited its preferred candidate, Donna Miller, for expanding access to health care, combatting violence against women and challenging ICE. The unspoken objective of the spending? Defeat Jewish State Senator Robert Peters, who dared to criticize the Israeli Prime Minister’s policies and called for a ceasefire after October 7, 2023. A crypto super PAC absurdly called Peters, a two-time Sanders supporter, a “corporate pawn.” The area was flooded and Miller won with 40.4 percent in a crowded field.
Of course, money doesn’t always dictate the outcome. In Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, an AIPAC-funded group called Elect Chicago Women spent nearly $6 million trying to defeat progressives Daniel Biss (backed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren) and Kat Abughazaleh (backed by Democratic judges and Democratic Socialist votes).
