(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The political left has for years complained about the influence of so-called dark money in American elections. But politicians aligned with those causes, as well as the Democratic Party, have similarly benefited from it.
The 2026 midterm elections, which Democrats have celebrated as a blue tsunami, were no different, with at least $26 million backing their campaigns coming from an obscure, “straw donor” scheme that could find itself under federal scrutiny.
According to a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by government watchdog the Campaign Legal Center, tax-exempt organization United Futures Inc. conducted such a scheme.
The organization — as alleged by the FEC complaint and reported Wednesday by the New York Times — allowed donors to skirt disclosure requirements by routing contributions through it before transferring the money to super PACs.
Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations are not required to publicly disclose their donors, while super PACs are. Such arrangements can make it difficult to identify the sources of money flowing into super PACs, according to the Campaign Legal Center complaint.
Campaign Legal Center spokesman Brendan Quinn criticized the practice in remarks quoted by the Times, suggesting that it is becoming a phenomenon in American elections.
“It’s less about this specific group. It’s more about the tactic. The sheer amount and its tactics combined make it particularly galling,” Quinn said.
Super PACs can wield considerable influence in political campaigns because they can accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and other entities.
According to the Times, United Futures Inc. was founded in August by Alana Mounts, a Democrat operative who worked for the campaigns of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Twelve days after its founding, the nonprofit was operating under a seven-figure budget.
United Futures ended up contributing $5 million to Democratic super PACs, part of what the Times described as a “spree” of at least $26 million intended to support Democratic candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
A New Democratic-Tied Dark-Money Group Draws Scrutiny Over Midterm Spendinghttps://t.co/oCD572MKLa
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) November 11, 2026
An attorney representing United Futures, Lindsay Nathan, pushed back against accusations of wrongdoing, describing them as “false” and saying they “look forward to addressing them through the FEC process.”
The revelations come as the influence of money in politics emerged as a major issue during the 2026 midterm elections.
In Michigan, for example, now-Democratic senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed campaigned on a promise to eliminate the influence of money in dark politics and rein in oligarchs.
Leftist politicians and activists alike have frequently directed their criticism of political spending at Republicans, even as Democratic-aligned organizations have benefited from similar financial arrangements.
Among the Democrat politicians who benefited most from United Futures were Adam Hamilton and Scott Colom, both of whom have won their respective races against Republicans for U.S. Senate in Kansas and Mississippi. Other Democrats, including Mary Peltola, who is leading her Senate race in Alaska, and leftist candidate Dan Osborn, also benefited from the funding, according to the Times.
🚨 OMG. Abdul El Sayed just got brutally CONFRONTED on national TV for demanding we get "money out of politics," then appearing with the SOROS FAMILY and taking money from huge donors
MACCALLUM: Here you are in LA with the Soros family. How is this not taking money from… pic.twitter.com/80IqQUdd0o
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 5, 2026
According to the complaint, United Futures was the sole financial backer of three super PACs. Two of those super PACs were reportedly incorporated within three weeks after the nonprofit was created.
“It is therefore utterly implausible that these super PACs did not know the identities of the true contributors providing funds to UFI for the purpose of financing their electoral influence efforts,” United Futures wrote in the complaint, according to the outlet.
