Democrats decry secret money, but have plenty

Democrats love decrying “dark money” — political contributions whose source is a mystery. But that isn’t stopping them from accepting such donations themselves, as a recent Southern contest vividly illustrated.

Alabama’s special U.S. Senate election in December is a case study in the lengths that national Democrats desperate to win back Congress are willing to go to hide their cash in the name of political expediency.

Here’s what happened: When it seemed as though Democrat Doug Jones could actually beat embattled Republican Roy Moore, a new super PAC supposedly based in Birmingham, Alabama, appeared one month before election day. The super PAC — called Highway 31 after a route that bisects Alabama — spent $5.1 million to boost Jones, more than any other group active in the general election.

Using a little-known legal loophole that allows political committees to do business on credit, the super PAC didn’t disclose the identities of its backers until a month after Jones’ victory. When Highway 31 did disclose, most of the money was from organizations who also receive some contributions from sources that are difficult, if not impossible, to comprehensively trace to flesh-and-blood humans.

Highway 31 wasn’t a homegrown group. All but about $10,000 of the $4.4 million the super PAC raised came from three national Democraticaligned entities: $3.2 million from super PAC Senate Majority PAC; $910,000 from the super PAC Priorities USA Action; and $250,000 from the nonprofit League of Conservation Voters Inc.

Those millions allowed Highway 31 to skewer Moore over accusations that he’d molested children, propelling Jones to an improbable victory in one of the nation’s most conservative states.