State investigators are probing complaints against a secretive group that recruited fervent Donald Trump supporters to run as spoiler candidates in key swing districts against Republicans — including two in Iowa — according to news reports and a woman it recruited to run in the state’s 1st Congressional District.
Stephanie Jones, a GOP activist and loyal supporter of the former president and Republican presidential nominee, was targeted by the Patriots Run Project to run as an independent in Southeast Iowa’s 1st District against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, despite not living in the district — but in De Soto, west of Des Moines.
Little is known about the true identities of the operatives behind the effort. The group has been accused of violating campaign finance law in a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission for failing to register as a political committee and file disclosure reports.
Republicans have called out the group as unethical and possibly illegal, suggesting the effort was evidence of election interference by Democratic operatives to run spoiler candidates to siphon votes away from GOP incumbents.
Jones — who ultimately never made it on the ballot — believes those behind the effort were genuine, and has said there’s no information to substantiate claims that Democrats were involved in the effort to recruit her to run against Miller-Meeks.
Speaking Monday to The Gazette, Jones said she was contacted by investigators with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
“We’ve got to respect the investigators and allow them to do their jobs at this time,” she said, declining further comment.
Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn revealed during a Saturday campaign fundraiser that the DCI was investigating complaints against Patriots Run Project, the Des Moines Register reported.
Nunn is seeking a second term in the 3rd District after unseating Democrat Cindy Axne in a close 2022 race that was decided by about 2,000 votes. The 21-county district includes the Des Moines metro, Ottumwa, Osceola and much of rural South Central Iowa.
Patriots Run Project also recruited Trump supporter Joe Wiederien to run against Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd District. But Wiederien later dropped out after realizing he had been duped.
Wiederien told the Des Moines Register at the Saturday fundraiser that he had been interviewed by DCI officials and had provided them with information about his contact with Patriots Run Project operatives.
DCI officials did not immediately respond to emailed messages Monday from The Gazette seeking comment, including questions about the nature and scope of the division’s purported investigation and whether charges had been filed.
Asked if the Iowa Attorney General’s Office was involved in the probe into Patriots Run Project, a spokeswoman responded: “Investigations of election-related crimes are conducted by law enforcement.”
The secretive group, the Patriots Run Project — and Wiederien’s and Jones’ stories — were the subject of an Associated Press report in September that revealed the group's operatives scouted conservative candidates online and aided their efforts to qualify for the ballot to run as third-party spoiler candidates in some of the nation's most competitive congressional districts.
The AP’s reporting detailed how little is known about the group — which is not registered as a business, political committee or nonprofit organization.
www.thegazette.com
Stephanie Jones, a GOP activist and loyal supporter of the former president and Republican presidential nominee, was targeted by the Patriots Run Project to run as an independent in Southeast Iowa’s 1st District against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, despite not living in the district — but in De Soto, west of Des Moines.
Little is known about the true identities of the operatives behind the effort. The group has been accused of violating campaign finance law in a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission for failing to register as a political committee and file disclosure reports.
Republicans have called out the group as unethical and possibly illegal, suggesting the effort was evidence of election interference by Democratic operatives to run spoiler candidates to siphon votes away from GOP incumbents.
Jones — who ultimately never made it on the ballot — believes those behind the effort were genuine, and has said there’s no information to substantiate claims that Democrats were involved in the effort to recruit her to run against Miller-Meeks.
Speaking Monday to The Gazette, Jones said she was contacted by investigators with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
“We’ve got to respect the investigators and allow them to do their jobs at this time,” she said, declining further comment.
Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn revealed during a Saturday campaign fundraiser that the DCI was investigating complaints against Patriots Run Project, the Des Moines Register reported.
Nunn is seeking a second term in the 3rd District after unseating Democrat Cindy Axne in a close 2022 race that was decided by about 2,000 votes. The 21-county district includes the Des Moines metro, Ottumwa, Osceola and much of rural South Central Iowa.
Patriots Run Project also recruited Trump supporter Joe Wiederien to run against Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd District. But Wiederien later dropped out after realizing he had been duped.
Wiederien told the Des Moines Register at the Saturday fundraiser that he had been interviewed by DCI officials and had provided them with information about his contact with Patriots Run Project operatives.
DCI officials did not immediately respond to emailed messages Monday from The Gazette seeking comment, including questions about the nature and scope of the division’s purported investigation and whether charges had been filed.
Asked if the Iowa Attorney General’s Office was involved in the probe into Patriots Run Project, a spokeswoman responded: “Investigations of election-related crimes are conducted by law enforcement.”
The secretive group, the Patriots Run Project — and Wiederien’s and Jones’ stories — were the subject of an Associated Press report in September that revealed the group's operatives scouted conservative candidates online and aided their efforts to qualify for the ballot to run as third-party spoiler candidates in some of the nation's most competitive congressional districts.
The AP’s reporting detailed how little is known about the group — which is not registered as a business, political committee or nonprofit organization.
Iowa DCI investigating secretive group that recruited spoiler candidates
State investigators are probing complaints against a secretive group that recruited fervent Donald Trump supporters to run as spoiler candidates in key swing districts against Republicans, according to a woman they recruited to run in Iowa's 1st District.
www.thegazette.com
