This week, a mysterious Super PAC called “National Horizon” announced that it would spend $150,000 on a TV ad attacking Zephyr Teachout. National Horizon’s largesse is remarkable, considering that its latest FEC filing (which covers July 1st through September 30th) showed that it had less than $42,000 in the bank and had not received a single dollar in contributions since 2012.
So how did National Horizon come up with all of this cash over the last 3 weeks? A look at its 2012 donors provides a clue. The group’s second-largest donor was hedge fund billionaire and ardent Trump supporter Robert Mercer, who gave $200,000. This year, Mercer has already put money down on defeating Teachout. In January, Mercer donated $500,000 to the pro-John Faso “New York Wins” Super PAC. It is likely that this is yet another way for him to spend money on attacking Teachout, while trying to dodge accountability for it until the last possible moment.
It’s no surprise that Mercer may be trying to slip underneath the radar. In August, Teachout challenged Mercer and fellow mogul Paul Singer to put their mouths where their money is, by engaging her in an open debate about the future of upstate New York and our country. They answered her with silence. This latest deluge of misleading attack ads is likely Mercer’s only response.
In Congress, Zephyr Teachout will champion campaign finance reform that includes improved disclosure laws, so that no one can try to swing an election with this kind of late, mysterious donation. Americans deserve that high level of accountability in our politics. That’s why End Citizens United is proud to endorse her.