Progressive Dark Money Groups Help Liberal Activists Secure Municipal Elections

The Blue Ridge Times reported on several key municipal elections across North Carolina, in which Democrats defeated Republicans in suburban areas of Democrat-leaning counties. These elections are defined by low turnout, limited media coverage, and minimal advertising.  

But this year, a couple of dark-money left-wing groups engaged in these elections, and their preferred candidates defeated Republican candidates, usually by a couple of hundred votes. These groups are generally 501 (c) (4) organizations. They are not subject to the disclosure requirements as political campaigns, making it harder to track their spending on behalf of candidates. Still, the Meta Ad Tracker does provide some limited insights.  

• First, Carolina Forward spent at least $24,000 on Facebook ads, boosting far-left candidates.  

• No Barred Votes spent several thousand dollars on Facebook ads encouraging people with criminal records to double-check whether they could vote in North Carolina municipal elections.  

• Down Home North Carolina worked overtime to promote candidates focused on a far-left agenda.  

• El Pueblo spent several thousands of Spanish language ads encouraging people to register and vote in municipal elections.  

This is likely only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what far-left dark money groups are spending to influence North Carolina elections.