Republican US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks says the use of dark super PAC money in politics is “kind of like Hezbollah and Hamas being proxies for Iran.” Miller-Meeks has a PAC.
Since 2010’s Citizens United v. FEC, it is estimated that more than $2.8 billion has flowed into US elections. An OpenSecrets analysis found shell companies and dark money groups injected $162 million into political groups like super PACs in 2023.
Decrying the influence of dark money has become a mainstay on the campaign trail for Republicans and Democrats alike. But it hasn’t prevented the same people decrying the money from making use of it.
On Friday, US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican, made a campaign stop in Maquoketa. Talking to a small crowd of 15, The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported her condemning national Democrats for funneling super PAC money into advertising for the district.
She likened it to proxy wars with Iran.
“It’s kind of like Hezbollah and Hamas being proxies for Iran. These groups are proxies for the Democratic Party. This is a group filing their donations on Oct. 11 so that people can’t see who their donors are,” Miller-Meeks said.
It is true that dark money is often spent after federal filing deadlines so that the influence of big spending isn’t recorded until after the fact. But leading up to this election, Miller-Meeks’ campaign has been a major user and benefactor of the same super PAC money that she railed against… and compared to an Iran-backed militia in Lebanon.
A review of Google’s political ad data shows a number of PACs dropping cash on Miller-Meeks behalf:
- Congressional Leadership Fund has spent $169,500 since September attacking Miller-Meeks opponent Democrat Christina Bohannan.
- American Action Network Inc. has spent $31,100 in the district promoting Miller-Meeks.
- The American Medical Association PAC has spent $23,800 since October supporting Miller-Meeks campaign.
This is not to mention the Miller-Meeks-affiliated Six PAC—a reference to her winning margin in the 2020 election, not the January 6 insurrection. For the 2023-2024 election cycle, $2 million has been contributed to Six PAC, representing 43% of her total source of funds. Small individual contributions made up 7% of her total. 79% of her money came from outside the district.
Taking money from super PACs has been an issue for Miller-Meeks during this campaign. The Bohannan campaign has hit her for taking money insulin manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company’s PAC right before voting against a bill that would cap insulin costs and allow the government to negotiate Medicare drug costs.
