Conservative group asks FEC to probe effort to promote spoiler candidates

A secretive group that recruited retired and disabled supporters of former President Donald Trump to run as third-party spoiler candidates in some of the nation's most competitive congressional districts — including two in Iowa — was accused of violating campaign finance law in a complaint filed Tuesday.

The secretive group, the Patriots Run Project, was the subject of an Associated Press article that revealed the group's operatives scouted conservative candidates online, aided their efforts to qualify for the ballot — and spent considerable resources doing so. The AP's story also detailed how little is known about the group — which is not registered as a business, political committee or nonprofit organization — even though some aspects of the operation trace directly back to Democrats.

In a complaint Tuesday to the Federal Election Commission, the conservative organization Americans for Public Trust argued that Patriots Run Project's “major purpose” was “influencing federal elections” and the organization thus violated campaign finance law by failing to register as a political committee. That would force the group to file reports that would likely reveal who is managing and financing the operation, as well as the motivation behind it.

The only concrete identifying detail listed on the group’s website is a post office box inside a UPS store in Washington, D.C.

The effort could have profound consequences in the fight to control Congress, which is expected to be decided by a handful of races this November. For the past year, Patriots Run Project has recruited Trump supporters to run as independent candidates in key swing districts where they could siphon votes from Republicans.

Patriots Run Project recruited candidates in Nebraska, Montana, Minnesota and Iowa, though not all ultimately qualified for the ballot.

In Iowa, the group worked to gather signatures for longtime GOP activist Stephanie Jones to run as an independent against Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Southeast Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Jones said the group paid to gather signatures for her, but fell short. The group also recruited fervent Trump supporter Joe Wiederien to run against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in Central Iowa’s 3rd District. But Wiederien later dropped out after realizing he had been duped.

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The AP story provoked a swift reaction from Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on X that the group's ties to Democrats were “extremely concerning” and suggested that it was “evidence of election interference by Democrat operatives.”