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SUMMER LEE CONDEMNS ARRIVAL OF GOP ‘BILLIONAIRE CAVALRY’ IN PA
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY  
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Jake Johnson
March 15, 2024
Common Dreams
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_ Moderate PAC -- funding Lee's opponent -- has been described as "an
organization of centrist Democrats," but its only donation in the
2022 cycle came from a firm co-founded by Republican benefactor
Jeffrey Yass—the richest man in Pennsylvania. _

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U.S. Rep. Summer Lee said Thursday that the "Republican billionaire
cavalry has finally arrived" in her Pennsylvania district after a
super PAC whose sole contributor in the 2022 election cycle was a GOP
megadonor debuted an ad
[[link removed]] backing the progressive
Squad member's Democratic primary opponent
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The 30-second spot by the so-called "Moderate PAC" praises Bhavini
Patel—an Edgewood, Pennsylvania councilmember—and attacks Lee for
criticizing President Joe Biden and pursuing what the group described
as an "extreme socialist agenda." The ad comes with Pennsylvania's
April 23 primary just over a month away.

Moderate PAC has been described in media coverage as "an organization
of centrist Democrats," but its only donation
[[link removed]] in
the 2022 cycle came from Susquehanna International Group
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a trading firm co-founded by Republican benefactor Jeffrey Yass—the
richest man in Pennsylvania who has reportedly avoided $1 billion in
taxes
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"The tax savings have contributed to an explosion in wealth for Yass,
who has increasingly poured that fortune into candidates and causes on
the political right," _ProPublica_reported
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2022. "He has spent more than $100 million on election campaigns in
recent years. The money has gone to everything from anti-tax advocacy
and charter schools to campaigns against so-called critical race
theory and for candidates who falsely say the 2020 election was stolen
and seek to ban abortion."

Yass has been floated
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a possible treasury secretary pick if former President Donald Trump
wins another term in November.

"It is no surprise that a man Donald Trump has called 'fantastic' sees
our people-powered progressive movement as a threat, because we are."

Lee, who raised over $1 million
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mostly small-dollar donations in the final quarter of 2023, said
Thursday that Yass "is already the biggest donor of the 2024 election
cycle spending $46.4 million for Republicans so far and was the
third-largest Republican donor in America last cycle, donating $47
million to Republican candidates and committees."

"His biggest priorities have been defunding public education, banning
abortion, and cutting taxes for the wealthiest billionaires in our
country," said Lee. "It is no surprise that a man Donald Trump
has called
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sees our people-powered progressive movement as a threat, because we
are."

"I will always defend our abortion rights and reproductive freedom,
continue delivering investments to our public education, and push
Congress to pass my OLIGARCH Act
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tax extreme wealth, reduce inequality, and invest that money back in
our communities," Lee added. "Republican-funded super PACs and their
chosen candidate couldn't stop us last cycle, and they won't stop us
this time."

Moderate PAC was founded in 2021 with the express purpose of
bolstering more conservative Democrats. The group spent nearly
$750,000
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right-wing Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine in the 2022 cycle.

Last year, the super PAC reported
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in total contributions.

_Axios _reported
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year that the organization "plans to raise $20 million to defend a
handful of Democratic lawmakers—as well as open-seat candidates—in
2024 primary fights with progressives."

The group was founded by Ty Strong, a former analyst at the U.S.
military contractor Booz Allen Hamilton.

Strong is the only person listed
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As _The Intercept_'s Akela Lacy reported
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January, Biden's 2020 campaign manager Greg Schultz served as the
organization's lone consultant at the time.

Strong claimed
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a statement to _Politico_ on Thursday that the new attack ad against
Lee was "funded by donations raised recently in Lee's district."
Moderate PAC reportedly spent $270,000 on the ad buy.

_Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams._

_Common Dreams is a reader-supported independent news outlet created
in 1997 as a new media model.  Our nonprofit newsroom covers the most
important news stories of the moment. Common Dreams free online
journalism keeps our millions of readers well-informed, inspired, and
engaged.  We are optimists. We believe real change is possible. But
only if enough well-informed, well-intentioned—and just plain fed up
and fired-up—people demand it. We believe that together we can
attain our common dreams._

* Democratic primary
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* republican funding
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* Summer Lee
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* House of Representatives
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