NJ-07, NJ-08, NJ-12: Outside groups have spent more than $12 million on this year's Democratic primaries

For decades, the most important question one could ask of a New Jersey candidate was: do you have the county line? Now, a new question has dethroned it: do you have a super PAC?

While super PACs have been a fact of life in New Jersey and around the country for a while, this was the first cycle that the groups – which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on congressional races, provided they eventually disclose their donors and don’t coordinate directly with campaigns – truly took the state by storm and reshaped its most competitive primaries.

Earlier this year, super PAC spending proved to be the decisive factor in the special Democratic primary for the 11th district, though not in the way that those groups had anticipated or hoped. And on the June 2 primary ballot, Democratic in the 7th, 8th, and 12th districts will vote in contests that have been inundated by outside money. (No Republican primaries have seen any outside expenditures this year.)

All in all, super PACs and other outside groups have spent more than $12.1 million in New Jersey this cycle boosting some Democratic candidates and opposing others, a number that may inch higher if any PACs make last-minute investments. Here’s the full breakdown.



https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/outside-groups-have-spent-more-than-12-million-on-this-years-democratic-primaries/