Mysterious Super PAC Dumps Nearly $1M Into Senate Races

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A mysterious super PAC formed in mid-October has dumped close to $1 million into Senate races in Montana and North Dakota and likely won’t have to disclose its donors until after Election Day.

Freedom Fund North America was created on Oct. 15 by a Washington, D.C. lawyer named Michael Adams, who serves as the group’s treasurer. It has already spent $990,000 on advertisements opposing Democrats Sen. Jon Tester in Montana and Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota as well as an ad supporting Heitkamp’s opponent, Rep. Rick Berg (R).

As a super PAC, Freedom Fund North America is able to spend all of its budget on political advocacy but is supposed to disclose its donors. But because the group’s filings indicate it did not receive any donations before Oct. 17, the Federal Election Commission allows it to keep its donors a secret until the next reporting date on Dec. 6.

The Sunlight Foundation, which tracks political spending, reported that Adams’ involvement with other super PACs might give some clues about the backers of Freedom Fund North America. Adams is also the treasurer for Maine Freedom PAC and Fund for Freedom, Inc.

Those PACs have focused on Senate races in Maine and Hawaii and have been mostly funded by Colorado media executive John Malone, Texas investor Ed Bosarge and Maine liquor company CEO Paul Coulombe.

Freedom Fund North America has no website, has not posted its ads online and shares an address with Adams’ law firm. Adams — who the Sunlight Foundation points out also serves as treasurer for two other super PACs formed to help Republicans in Senate races this year — did not respond to TPM’s requests for comment.

An anti-Testor ad paid for by the group was produced by RedPrint Strategy, a firm which has done work for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Americans For Prosperity and the Montana Republican Party. Co-founder Casey Phillips told TPM that it was up to Freedom Fund North America to decide whether they wanted to post the anti-Tester advertisement online.

“Basically it’s just a bunch of Montanans talking about Jon Tester,” Phillips said, noting the ad was filmed a little over a week ago. He declined to say what issues the ad focused on and said Adams was the only person he dealt with when producing the ad.

“I think you should probably talk to those guys,” Phillips said. “I feel like I’d be talking out of turn if I said anything, unfortunately.”

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