REPUBLICANS STEP IN TO FUND PAC ATTACKING PHILADELPHIA MAYORAL CANDIDATE HELEN GYM
Mayoral candidate Helen Gym takes part in a Democratic primary debate on April 25, 2023. Photo: Matt Rourke/AP
Republicans have repeatedly teamed up with Democrats to oppose progressive candidates in recent years.
by Akela Lacy
REGISTERED REPUBLICANS HAVE stepped in to fund a little-known political action committee that has run ads attacking the leading progressive candidate in Philadelphia’s mayoral election, recent campaign disclosures show.
Since late April, the Coalition for Safety and Equitable Growth has run ads targeting former Philadelphia City Council member Helen Gym. Gym is one of five major candidates in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Philadelphia mayor. The winner will advance to the general election in November and is expected to win in the overwhelmingly blue city.
Gym’s campaign has long suspected that the committee was funded by Republican megadonor Jeffrey Yass, but Yass’s involvement was not confirmed until the group had to file a campaign finance report on May 5. Yass, a registered Libertarian, has so far contributed $1.1 million to the effort, records show. The Coalition for Safety and Equitable Growth was one of the first outside groups to run negative ads during the mayoral primary.
The group has received an additional $255,000 in donations from a variety of individual and organizational donors. Just over $50,000 of that money came from six registered Republicans and a company run by a registered Republican, according to The Intercept’s review of the disclosures and the individuals’ voter registration files. One donor who gave $1,500 did not have a public voter registration record and contributed to Republican candidates in previous elections.
Democrats have chipped in too. At least four additional individuals were registered Democrats, while others had given to federal Democratic candidates in past elections. Two companies and one organization run by registered Democrats also contributed. The remaining donors listed in the group’s campaign finance reports did not have public voter registration files, had no affiliation, or were independent.
Instances of Republicans working with Democrats to oppose progressive candidates have become more common in recent years. Major Republican donors have teamed up with Democrats to fund PACs and attack ads in competitive congressional primaries and local elections in states like Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan.