Both Parties Deploy Dark Money and Procedural Tricks in 2026 Midterms

Voters in multiple states face a wave of hidden spending and procedural maneuvers that could tilt control of Congress without clear disclosure of who is paying. In Alaska, two candidates named Dan Sullivan are running for Senate under the state's top-four primary system, with Republicans accusing the challenger of entering to confuse voters and Democrats denying any coordination. The National Republican Senatorial Committee circulated polls showing Rep. Jasmine Crockett leading the Texas Democratic Senate primary, after which conservative groups ran ads highlighting her record that critics said aimed to boost her among Democratic voters. A network of Democratic donors and left-leaning super PACs spent more than $10 million supporting independent candidates in Republican-leaning states after Democratic nominees withdrew in Nebraska, Idaho and South Dakota. On the Republican side, Conservative Americans PAC routed millions through newly formed committees named Lead Left PAC, Real Change PAC and California Blue PAC to back weaker Democratic primary candidates, with disclosures delayed until after voting. House Republicans opened investigations into unions including the American Federation of Teachers and United Auto Workers after reports from the American Accountability Foundation and Freedom Foundation alleged improper use of member dues for political activity, claims the unions rejected as inaccurate. Separate probes examined fabricated polls released by Median Strategies on races in Los Angeles, Wisconsin and Nevada, and filing deadline maneuvers in Montana and Illinois that cleared paths for preferred successors. The central tension remains whether these tactics represent routine competition or an erosion of transparency that leaves voters unable to trace the sources of influence before Election Day.