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ICYMI: Republicans Admit to Funding Ghost Candidates to Rig Elections with Dark Money
In case you missed it, a story first released by the Miami-Herald today uncovered a bombshell admission that Republican operatives funded ghost candidates in three races in South and Central Florida in 2020 to draw votes from Democrats in closely contested races.
A top consultant for Senate Republicans admitted in a deposition that he was behind the campaign strategy to recruit candidates to take votes from Democrats in three target races funded by dark money.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called this admission from Republican operatives a “bombshell”, proving that the ghost candidate scheme in 2020 was part of the Florida GOP’s campaign strategy. “On the same day as Donald Trump and GOP Speaker Mike Johnson rubbed shoulders at Mar-a-Lago to lecture voters on election integrity, we have new evidence that Republicans used dark money to take votes from Democrats and cheat to win.”
Check out full coverage in the Miami-Herald below:
Miami-Herald: ‘Knock yourself out.’ Top Florida GOP operative blessed Artiles’ ‘ghost candidate’ pitch
– The suit alleges that political consultants who worked closely with the utility’s CEO and lobbying staff plowed FPL funds through a series of dark money groups “to prop up the ghost candidates.”
– In all, three spoiler candidates ran in three districts, benefiting from over $730,000 in secret political funds moved by more than a dozen consultants.
– Artiles recruited the two ghost candidates who ran in South Florida races.
– A third candidate, who ran in a central Florida race, was recruited by a pair of GOP political operatives from Seminole county.
– The scheme helped Florida’s GOP further solidify its Senate majority.
– State Sen. Shevrin Jones said: “Ever since Donald Trump lost, Republicans have been talking about election integrity. But when you look at this here, this is everything but election integrity.”
