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Welcome to a special edition of Popular Information, a newsletter dedicated to accountability journalism.
Progressive Champions PAC, a super PAC created last month, says on its website that its mission is to “elect bold, progressive candidates up and down the ballot.” On Friday, according to FCC records, it booked nearly $400,000 worth of broadcast television ads attacking Cait Conley, a Democratic candidate in New York’s 17th Congressional District.
Conley is facing off against Democrat Beth Davidson in the June 23 primary. The general election is expected to be one of the most expensive and hotly contested races in the country. The incumbent, Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY), is one of three Republicans who represent a House district won in 2024 by former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Progressive Champions PAC’s ads, which are also running online, claim that Conley is “not progressive” and tie her to President Trump.
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A Popular Information investigation, however, reveals that Progressive Champions PAC is tied to the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), the super PAC of the House Republican leadership. Progressive Champions PAC is part of a network of sham “progressive” PACs attempting to influence key Democratic primaries across the country.
Previously, Popular Information reported that Real Change PAC, another sham PAC, sent a message to supporters from a cavalryllc.com email address — the domain of one of DC’s top Republican communication shops. The CLF spent over $10 million in the 2024 cycle buying digital ads through Cavalry LLC.
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The FEC’s detailed e-filing records, available through the agency’s API, reveal that Real Change PAC and Progressive Champions PAC were created five minutes apart — Real Change PAC on May 11 at 5:35 PM and Progressive Champions PAC on May 11 at 5:40 PM.
The timing is not the only data point linking the two super PACs. Real Change PAC has been active in New Jersey and Maine. Progressive Champions PAC just booked a major ad buy in New York. But, as Cook Political Report’s Erin Covey noted, both super PACs list Bryant Bank, a small community institution in Alabama, as their bank of record.
According to FEC records, over the last 10 years, Bryant Bank has only been used by a handful of committees, all connected to Alabama. The most prominent political customer of Bryant Bank is Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL). Palmer has used Bryant Bank for his joint fundraising committee, Palmer Victory, since 2016 and also uses Bryant Bank for his main campaign committee, Gary Palmer for Congress, and his leadership PAC, Conservative Promises.
Notably, Gary Palmer co-founded the Alabama Policy Institute in 1989 and served as the organization’s president from its founding until he ran for Congress in 2014. When he left, Palmer turned over the reins to Caleb Crosby, who was working at the Alabama Policy Institute as its CFO. “Caleb has the passion and the knowledge to lead the Alabama Policy Institute and take the organization to the next level,” Palmer said.
Today, Caleb Crosby is the treasurer of the CLF.