A group financed by conservative mega-donors Ken Griffin and Warren Stephens is paying for attack ads against Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) ahead of the Super Tuesday primary election when he will oppose fellow Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.).
Mr. Carl, representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, and Mr. Moore, who represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, are now both in a redrawn 1st district encompassing Mobile, Alabama, and all of the Yellowhammer State’s Gulf Coast. They are running against each other in a March 5 GOP primary.
Starting in February, according to public records maintained by the Federal Communications Commission, a group called Conservatives for American Excellence Inc. began to purchase anti-Moore advertisements on the affiliates of the four major networks—ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC—based in Mobile, Alabama, and nearby Pensacola, Florida. All told, the group has purchased about $196,000 worth of ads on local stations WEAR, WPMI, WALA, and WKRG that began airing on Feb. 6 and will continue to be broadcast through so-called Super Tuesday.
According to Federal Election Commission records, Conservatives for American Excellence Inc. is a super PAC registered in March 2023. Since it was founded, it has raised about $4.5 million in total receipts.
As a super PAC, Conservatives for American Excellence Inc. can solicit from and make unlimited contributions to individuals, corporations, labor unions, and other political committees, according to the FEC. It’s unauthorized, meaning it can’t cooperate directly with the candidate.
Most of its money, according to the FEC, came from two men—Mr. Griffin and Mr. Stephens. Mr. Griffin, founder, CEO, and co-chief investment officer of Citadel Investment Group, gave $3 million on Jan. 8. Mr. Stephens, the chairman, president, and CEO of Stephens Inc., donated $1 million on Jan. 23.
In an email, Shana Teehan, a spokeswoman for Barry Moore for Congress, said it’s “very concerning” that a known opponent of President Trump is paying for “salacious” attack ads against Mr. Moore and his family. Ms. Teehan also said Mr. Griffin in the past has financially supported former President Barack Obama.
“Voters need to ask themselves why someone who supports Democrats and is so anti-Trump is helping Jerry Carl? The uniparty doesn’t want Barry back in DC because they know he will continue to drain the swamp and put America first,” Ms. Teehan said in a statement provided to the Epoch Times. “It’s important that voters know the truth and understand who is paying for these false ads so that we can stop the Left from stealing this primary election.
“Jerry Carl should immediately disavow this PAC and publicly demand that they take these deceptive ads down.”
Additional independent expenditure reports filed by the group on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 show the group is purchasing direct mail services related to Mr. Moore. The super PAC reported spending about $59,000 with two firms—American Mail Group LLC of Nashville, Tennessee, and ReadyGOP LLC of Kansas City, Missouri—for direct mail services and text message services.
In the same independent expenditure reports, the super PAC reported spending about $375,000 with Red Eagle Media of Alexandria, Virginia, for media production and advertisement. On the television advertisement contracts filed with the FCC, Red Eagle Media is listed as the buyer for the Conservatives for American Excellence ads.
Mega Donor Support for Moore
Mr. Moore, for his part, is receiving significant help from a group linked to the conservative Club for Growth.FCC records indicate the School Freedom Fund, a super PAC affiliated with the Club for Growth, spent about $406,000 on television ads opposing Mr. Carl with the same Gulf Coast stations. These ads began airing on Feb. 21 and are set to continue through March 5.
School Freedom Fund, according to FEC records, raised about $6.3 million between January 2023 and the end of January 2024. Its sponsors are conservative mega-donors Jeff Yass, who gave $3 million in 2023; Richard Uihlein, who donated $2 million in 2023; and Bernie Marcus, who sent $1 million in 2023.
Jeff Yass, the co-founder and managing director of the Philadelphia-based Susquehanna International Group, is a Republican mega-donor and significant backer of the Club for Growth. He is one of the largest conservative donors in the United States, according to donor records maintained by Open Secrets.
Mr. Uihlein, the founder of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin-based packing product company Uline, supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ run for president in 2023. He is also one of the largest conservative donors in the United States, according to Open Secrets. In the past, he has also funded accounts related to President Trump.
Mr. Marcus is a co-founder of The Home Depot Inc. and a key Republican Party donor. He sent $1 million to a PAC backing President Trump in 2023.
According to independent expenditure reports filed on Feb. 29, the School Freedom Fund spent a total of about $170,000 on various firms for services supporting Mr. Moore and opposing Mr. Carl.
Representatives of Club for Growth were not immediately available for comment on this article.
