So-called dark money pouring into Democratic primary for mayor of Pittsburgh
With just a week to go, the money keeps pouring into the Democratic primary for mayor of Pittsburgh.
When all is said and done, close to $3 million will be spent on the Democratic primary for mayor, an astounding amount for a local election.
KDKA Lead Investigator Andy Sheehan says more than $1 million is so-called dark money, much of it from out-of-state funders pushing national agendas.
Who is behind the cash?
They're political action committees, which are independent of the candidates' campaigns but have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on those attack ads on both sides.
The funders behind the ads are often not clear, but many have national concerns beyond Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Democratic Primary for mayor attack ads
With just a week to go, the attack ads are getting nastier.
So far, sources say Common Sense Change, a PAC independently supporting O'Connor, has spent $675,000 on ads. Pennsylvania Working Families Party, a PAC independently supporting Mayor Ed Gainey, has spent $585,000.
Much of the money is coming from out-of-state funders pushing national agendas.
"What we really have is a proxy war for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party that is played out by these groups that are national groups getting themselves in the mix of a local race," political consultant Mike Butler said.
The PACs must operate independently of the campaigns, but determining who is behind the cash requires some sleuthing.
Backing Gainey, Working Families is a national PAC dedicated to the election of progressive candidates, with the Pennsylvania chapter based in Philadelphia. Since the PAC files campaign reports federally, most of its contributors haven't yet been identified.
But in March, the social justice organization Pennsylvania United contributed $100,000 and SEIU Healthcare, which has long enlisted Mayor Gainey's support to unionize UPMC, did the same.
More is known about Common Sense Change, which has been funded primarily by the Pennsylvania Laborers' District Council, local trade unions, and local old-line Democrats.
But in its latest filing, a PAC out of Washington, D.C., called Democracy Wins made two contributions: $90,000 and $60,000. The PAC's funders are not known, but Common Sense says it funds "mainstream progressive" candidates like O'Connor.
Butler says these independent expenditures from outside sources reveal a national split in the Democratic Party between the progressive wing backing Gainey and the more moderate Democrats behind O'Connor.
"It can be unfortunate for voters who are trying to have kitchen table concerns, and they're in the middle of this larger ideological fight," Butler said.
And since many of the funders are unknown, those agendas remain hidden.
"We don't have accountability. We don't have transparency. We still have undue influence," Butler said.
But as it is, many of the big-ticket donors won't be known until after the votes are counted.
