Last month, Club for Growth, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, entered the first congressional district race supporting U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) through its Club for Growth PAC, School Freedom Fund.
School Freedom Fund reportedly secured $581,000 in advertising in the race's final two weeks, focusing on the Mobile media market.
That prompted Moore's opponent, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile), to call on Moore to denounce Club for Growth's participation based on Carl's claim the organization operated as a "Never Trump" entity.
However, a super PAC with ties to one of the nation's alleged largest "Never Trump" political donors, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, has stepped into the race for Alabama's first congressional district in opposition to U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise).
According to OpenSecrets.org, the Conservatives for American Excellence PAC (CAEPAC) has spent $366,889 running attack ads against Moore, ostensibly in favor of his opponent.
Dare Defend Our Right PAC spokesman Jonathon Gray said CAEPAC had received nearly $4 million from Griffin, who, despite being known as a GOP megadonor, has worked against former President Donald Trump while giving money to Democrat causes.
"Jerry Carl's hypocritical and false ads about Moore have been running for weeks, and as Carl runs out of money, he's getting bailed out with help from Never Trumpers like Ken Griffin and his friends with Conservatives for American Excellence Pac," Gray stated in a press release.
During the current election cycle, Griffin has spent $60 million opposing Donald Trump's re-election bid, Gray said, according to FEC records, and gave $5 million to a Super PAC in support of presidential candidate Nikki Haley. Griffin also gave $1 million to the Obama Foundation in 2008, 2012 and 2017.
"It's clear who the Griffin and his Conservative for American Excellence PAC want to represent Congressional District 1 in Alabama, and that is Jerry Carl," Gray said. "These RINOs are tearing down Barry Moore, who stood by President Trump from that first day in 2015 when [Trump] visited Alabama."
He continued, "It is the mission of Ken Griffin and his Never Trump friends to defeat Trump and the Freedom Caucus in the 2024 election, and Jerry Carl's silence says everything about his lack of support for President Trump and the true conservatives in America! Not only will Jerry Carl and his campaign say anything to smear Barry Moore, it is clear that they will take help from those who are against Trump, the Freedom Caucus and conservative reform to win. The voters of District 1 deserve the truth AND someone better than Jerry Carl."
When asked by 1819 News why a super PAC with ties to a so-called "Never Trumper" would apparently support his bid for AL-1, Carl's campaign sent the following response:
"Jerry Carl is the only candidate who has fought to fund and build Trump's wall, secure our border, and deport illegals so they are sent back to where they are from. Jerry Carl doesn't just talk about our problems, he takes conservative action to solve them. Barry Moore is in this race for himself. He’s a documented tax cheat who wants to raise your taxes, and is directing taxpayer-funded government contracts to his own pockets - when he was a state legislator and right now as a member of Congress."
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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