Mystery Money Is Displacing Actual Campaigns in Democratic Primaries

Races in Montana, Iowa and Michigan are being shaped by outside groups.

Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate for Senate, campaigning.

The group VoteVets has spent nearly $10 million in support of Josh Turek’s Senate bid in Iowa. Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

More than $2 million has been spent on ads this year in the Senate Democratic primary in Montana. And almost every cent has come from a pair of dueling super PACs whose sources of funding remain a mystery.

The two Democratic candidates in the race haven’t spent anything on TV or digital ads in the state, according to AdImpact, giving the super PACs outsize influence on the outcome of Tuesday’s primary.

It’s a strikingly common dynamic in Democratic primaries this year, including in a plethora of races this month.