Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Mike Durant’s claim as frontrunner of Alabama’s hotly contested race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) was sure to make him the target of opposition ad spending.
That came to fruition this week as the newly-formed Alabama RINO PAC released its first television ad. The PAC takes aim at Durant over the affiliations of those who are supporting the first-time candidate’s bid through the organization More Perfect Union, which Yellowhammer News has extensively covered in previous reporting.
The ad hones in on Zack Czajkowski, who serves as political director of More Perfect Union and previously worked in the same capacity for the anti-Donald Trump Lincoln Project. The 30-second spot also takes aim at the source of the pro-Durant PAC’s funding, which consists of multiple California-based individuals.
“Political candidate Mike Durant — have you checked to see who’s behind Mike Durant? This guy, who worked for Hillary,” says the ad narrator while an image displays of Czajkowski. “He’s a top never-Trumper, calling the shots for the Durant political committee. And wealthy donors from California, they’re paying for Durant ads. They’re pushing secretly liberal candidates all over America to keep the Senate liberal. Once you know who’s behind Mike Durant, you can’t support Mike Durant.”
Watch:
Yellowhammer News inquired with the Durant campaign regarding the content of Alabama RINO PAC’s ad. When asked to respond to the ad’s reference of Czajkowski and the insinuation that Durant is “secretly liberal,” campaign spokesman Scott Stone called the allegations “defamatory.”
“The ad is flagrantly false and defamatory in what it alleges, but it comes as no surprise that Chief of Staff Katie Boyd Britt’s DC allies would run desperate misleading ads given Mike’s clear grassroots momentum as the conservative patriot in the race,” stated Stone.
As Federal Election Commission (FEC) finance reports will not be made publicly available until April 15, the source of Alabama RINO PAC’s funding is unknown.
FEC records show that Alabama RINO PAC filed an independent expenditure report on March 18, a week after it was formed, that included a $24,000 disbursement to Troy-based political consulting firm Virtus Solutions for creative and digital ad placement.
The PAC’s registered address belongs to Austin, Texas-based Burton Strategy Group. The firm’s president, Jeff Burton, previously held leadership roles with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and performed work for former U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-N.C.).
Burton could not be immediately reached for comment.
Yellowhammer News has requested information relating to the PAC from its registered agent, Shannon O’Leary, who serves as counsel to Texas-based law firm The Gober Group.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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