Johnson-linked PAC rushes to bail out ex-Freedom Caucus chair
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (left) and Rep. Scott Perry campaign in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Oct. 11. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
A super PAC closely linked to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is putting money into defending former House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.) for the first time this election cycle.
Why it matters: Polls suggest the race is highly competitive, and a PAC tied to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has already put millions into supporting Perry's Democratic opponent, Janelle Stelson.
- Stelson has also been clobbering Perry in fundraising, besting him by more than $2 million between July and September, according to Federal Election Commission filings from both campaigns.
Driving the news: The Johnson-affiliated Congressional Leadership Fund put more than $200,000 into ad reservations in Pennsylvania's 10th district on Tuesday, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact.
- CLF had not spent anything in the district as of this weekend, though its nonprofit arm American Action Network put $500,000 into ads supporting Perry.
- Perry's primary bases of support so far have been House Freedom Action — the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus — and Win It Back PAC, which have spent over $600,000 and $900,000 for him, respectively.
- By contrast, Democrats' House Majority PAC has spent nearly $2.5 million on ads, on top of $2.1 million from Stelson's campaign and nearly $1 million from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Zoom in: CLF's ad reservations were shifted from Eighteen Fifty-Four Fund, a Republican group that still has nearly $2.1 million reserved in the district.
- That suggests that House Republicans are poised to make a far deeper investment than their initial $200,000 ad buy.
- Republican strategists have insisted to Axios that they don't see the race as competitive, but Democrats said they expected the GOP to invest more heavily there after a poll showed Stelson leading by 9 percentage points.
Between the lines: Perry has been a thorn in the side of both Johnson and his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), as the former chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
- The right-wing group has led numerous revolts against leadership over government spending and the debt ceiling, even forcing McCarthy to go through 15 grueling ballots to be elected in January 2023.
- But Johnson has appointed Perry to the prestigious House Intelligence Committee and campaigned in his district, with Perry's campaign saying they have gotten everything they've needed from the GOP establishment.
State of play: Stelson has hammered Perry for his conservative record, particularly his support of abortion restrictions.
- The former local TV anchor has also framed herself as an outsider alternative to the six-term congressman.
- Perry and his allies have gone after Stelson for living just outside the district lines and attacked her as a liberal on taxes and immigration.
What they're saying: "Scott Perry's Jan. 6 conspiracy theories and anti-abortion extremism have alienated voters in PA-10, and now Republicans are running scared," HMP spokesperson CJ Warnke told Axios.
- "They're trying to save his flailing campaign. Game on," DCCC spokesperson Aidan Johnson said.
The other side: "We are confident Scott Perry is going to win," CLF spokesperson Courtney Parella told Axios.
- Matt Beynon, a spokesperson for Perry's campaign, suggested the key will be to put money into defining Stelson and driving up her negatives: "The more voters actually learn about Janelle Stelson's positions, the less they like her."
- "Voters know Scott Perry and they trust him, and that's why voters will re-elect Scott Perry again this November," Beynon added.
