In the key Senate battleground of Indiana, one candidate has relied almost exclusively upon out-of-state forces. According to September 19th FEC filings, 94% of money spent on ads supporting Republican Todd Young or attacking Democrat Evan Bayh has come from outside Indiana – mostly from either Super PACs or “dark money” groups that don’t have to disclose their sources of funding.
The largest percentage pro-Young spending to date has come from the Senate Leadership Fund, a Super PAC closely tied to Senator Mitch McConnell. The group recently announced that it had received a whopping $20 million from Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. It has also pulled in millions from Big Oil, including $2 million from Chevron, and millions more from Wall Street notables, such as vulture hedge funder billionaire and “passionate defender of the 1%” Paul Singer.
Freedom Partners Action Fund, a Super PAC organized and funded by the Kansas billionaire Koch brothers, has also spent heavily in the race. The Kochs are famous for their “master plan measured in decades” designed to “reshape America.” They seem to have decided that Young is a key part of the reshaping.
“Dark money” groups that do not disclose their donors have also been big spenders on Young’s behalf. Even the Chamber of Commerce, with which Bayh partnered on measures to cut red tape for businesses, has abandoned its last shreds of bipartisanship and aired ads attacking him.
Todd Young is benefiting from huge infusions of outside cash from billionaire donors whose motivations have little to do with Indiana. If elected, he will owe his seat in large part to their generosity.