After declining to support him in 2016, conservative super PAC American Crossroads is boosting President Trump’s reelection efforts.
The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics reported Tuesday that American Crossroads recently spent almost $367,000 to support Trump in a text messaging campaign that spread across 13 states. Of that amount, $89,000 went to Florida where presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden slightly leads Trump in polling ahead of November’s election.
In additional from Florida, the texting campaign included allotting more than $10,000 to efforts in Nevada, over $32,000 in Arizona, more than $15,000 in Colorado, over $11,000 in Minnesota, another $10,000 in Iowa, over $17,000 in Wisconsin, nearly $20,000 in Michigan, more than $50,000 in Pennsylvania, almost $27,000 in Ohio, nearly $17,000 in Kentucky, almost $50,000 in North Carolina, and over $16,000 in Georgia.
American Crossroads was founded by former White House deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, and former Republican National Committee Chairmen Ed Gillespie and Mike Duncan. It has used new methods of fundraising opened up by the controversial Supreme Court ruling of Citizens United v. FEC that granted corporations and outside groups unlimited political spending power.
The super PAC spent $91 million to support Mitt Romney and oppose then-President Barack Obama in the 2012 general election. In 2016, the group spent nothing to support Trump but put $135,000 toward efforts against Hillary Clinton.
America First Action is the only super PAC that has Trump has approved to support his 2020 campaign. The president’s team has disavowed other super PACs that have raised and spent money in his name.
