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- A super PAC that supported JD Vance ran a secret but public website to relay info to the Vance campaign, Politico reported.
- The campaign of his primary opponent discovered the website and used it for intel, the report said.
- Vance won Ohio’s primary race on Tuesday, beating out several opponents.
A super PAC that supported author and venture capitalist JD Vance’s bid for US Senate created a secret but public website used to relay information to Vance in a way that skirted federal law, according to a report from Politico.
According to the Politico report, published late Tuesday, Republican strategist Luke Thompson wrote a memo last year informing Vance donors, including the team of tech billionaire Peter Thiel, that noted the super PAC would have to work harder because Vance was a first-time candidate and had a small operation that included only one communications staffer.
Politico reported that Thompson set up a public website and uploaded to it sensitive materials, including a 177-page opposition research book that indicated areas where Vance’s opponents could potentially attack him.
Other information uploaded to the website included strengths and weaknesses of his opponents, lines he could use while campaigning, and suggestions for getting the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, the report said.
Trump endorsed Vance in April and later appeared with him at a campaign event, Insider previously reported.
Unlike political campaigns, super PACS can raise unlimited amounts of money from a variety of sources including individuals and corporations, and can use that money to advocate for or against candidates. But super PACS are not able to donate money directly to candidates, and they are not legally allowed to directly coordinate with them.
Representatives for Vance’s campaign did not return Insider’s request for comment sent Wednesday.
“We knew we were going to have less to work with from the start, so we had to take risks and be innovative to keep our donors and supporters engaged,” Luke Thompson, the Republican strategist who ran the super PAC, told Politico.
“That included risking having all of our research in public,” he added. “But if we hadn’t taken those risks, we would never be in a position to contend for the lead and for a presidential endorsement.”
Vance on Tuesday won the contentious primary race to become the Republican Party’s nominee on the ballot in November to fill the seat currently occupied by the retiring Sen. Rob Portman, also a Republican. Vance won with just over 32% of the vote, according to data from Decision Desk HQ, beating six other Republicans vying for the position.
The public website operated by the pro-Vance super PAC was published through the blogging platform Medium, according to Politico, using the username “@protectohiovaluesforms”
While the pro-Vance super PAC was tracking visits to the website, it wasn’t able to tell who was visiting the website, Politico reported. The campaign of Vance’s GOP opponent, former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel, had been accessing the website and its content, the report said, and informed Politico about its existence.
Vance will now face Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, who easily won his party’s primary Tuesday with nearly 70% of the vote, according to DDHQ.
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