GOP officials deeply suspect a mysterious new super PAC is trying to sabotage Republicans in tough House and Senate races. By supporting libertarian candidates.

Save Western Culture PAC, which appears to be targeting Maryland and Texas Senate races and at least a dozen equally close House contests. Registered with the Federal Election Commission On October 11.

His late-stage FEC registration means there is no publicly available information about his donors — and likely won’t be until the Nov. 5 election, raising doubts, including whether he is trying to get votes from GOP candidates. Details about their spending are also limited.

“Every election cycle, national Democrats launch dark money groups designed to confuse voters and support third-party candidates who have no chance of winning,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Communications Director Mike Berg told The Post.

“This looks like more of the same, and voters need to reject this disingenuous tactic.”

The Post attempted to call Seth Martin, Save Western Culture PAC’s registered treasurer, but the number on file with the FEC was no longer in service. The Post also reached out to the group’s registered email address, which had the username “Libertyordeath2024,” but did not receive a response.

FEC records show Save Western Culture relied on Apex Growth Strategies, Zenith Strategy and Precision Ads 360 for various advertising and flyer campaigns. The Post’s attempts to find representatives from each of these firms were unsuccessful.

Based on the limited data available, the nascent super PAC appears to have spent about $1 million so far.

Target House races are Arizona Zone 6, Colorado Zone 8, Iowa Zone 1 and 3, Michigan Zone 7, Montana Zone 1, North Carolina Zone 1, New York Zone 17 and 19, Oregon Zone 5, Pennsylvania Zone 8, and Virginia Zone 2 .

Almost all of them are sequential shots By Cook Political Report’s election blocker.

Given that control of the House of Representatives is seen as anyone’s game, the super PAC’s alleged shady gambit could well tip the scales of power in the lower chamber.

Annoyed FEC statements Show the amount the PAC spends on candidates it “supports or opposes” without stating whether the spending is intended to help or harm that candidate.

In some cases, the PAC listed Republican candidates, while in others it listed Libertarian candidates.

But so far there is no evidence that the PAC is spending money to help Republican candidates in any way.

In Maryland, where former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) faces an uphill battle to flip an open Senate seat red, the Save Western Culture PAC is printing fliers promoting Libertarian foe Mike Scott, who frequently attacks both parties.

Some of the mailers praised Scott’s conservative stance and claimed he would support pardoning former President Donald Trump, but it’s not entirely clear he would do so.

“We need a senator who will defend our conservative values,” reads a Save Western Culture post backing Scott.

Scott told The Post he knew “nothing” about Save Western Culture PAC.

“They might be friends who want me to improve and get votes from Mr. Hogan. “They may be linking me to Mr. Trump to deter Democrats who want an alternative to Ms. Alsobrooks,” he said.

“I’m the moderate in this race.”

Although Scott has espoused some conservative stances, he has strongly criticized Trump and called him “a one.”authoritarian statist.” Scott has too repeatedly He called the Israel-Hamas war “genocide.”

Hogan is perhaps Trump’s most prominent Republican critic this cycle. He also happens to be the GOP’s best shot in decades at flipping the Maryland Senate seat.

“Lying to voters while asking for their trust is a slap in the face to our most sacred democratic processes,” Hogan campaign spokesman Blake Kernen said of the Save Western Culture PAC.

“We hope this close election will be determined by the issues that matter most to Marylanders, not a smear campaign based on lies that resorts to the tacky political gamesmanship everyone hates.”

Some campaigns have not yet been greatly affected by Save Western Culture PAC’s efforts, but there are growing concerns about this.

In Michigan’s 7th District, where the PAC appears to be targeting Republican Tom Barrett, the former state senator’s allies say they’re keeping an eye on it.

“We are very worried. They started spending money last week and are clearly trying to prop up the Libertarian candidate to take vote share from Tom Barrett,” a strategist aligned with Barrett told The Post.

In North Carolina’s 1st District, PAC-funded fliers praised Libertarian hopeful Tom Bailey and criticized Republican Laurie Buckhout as a “RINO,” or “Republican in Name Only.”

“Vote for Tom Bailey this November because RINO Laurie Buckhout is not one of us,” one flyer read.

He is locked in a tough fight against incumbent Rep. Don Davis (D-NC).

Democrats’ history with spoiler strategy

There is an extensive history of left-leaning groups running disruptive campaigns aimed at encouraging third-party candidates to siphon off Republican votes. Sometimes left-leaning groups got involved in the primaries and sought to promote more extreme candidates to weaken the GOP in the general election.

For example, Republicans in 2020 Really the American PAC cried foul He began spending money on billboards attacking GOP Senate candidates from the right.

It was clear at the time that the funding was coming from liberal sources, such as the Democrats’ ActBlue fundraising platform.

“Perdue/Loeffler Don’t Deliver for Trump, Don’t Deliver for Them,” read a billboard in Georgia that year, referencing Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

Following the duo’s subsequent defeats and thus the Democratic takeover of the Senate, some GOP officials attributed the losses in part to such antics.

This election cycle, there are also concerns about donor David Steinglass, a longtime supporter of Democrats and transgender rights. opens his safe to very conservative independent candidates in key races.