Dark campaign money pouring into Maine to create relentless negative political ads against Democrat Mr. Graham Platner

Echo Facebook Essay by Former Maine State Senator Bonnie Titcomb Lewis, of Standish.  

FACTS surrounding this current Senate campaign race uncover that it is being powered by the “Pine Tree PAC”. It is an outside Maine political action committee that was created for one reason…to destroy Graham Platner in his battle against Susan Collins.

A lot of people do not like dark money in politics. They don’t like out of state millionaires and billionaires determining our elections and politics here in Maine. They do not like unlimited amounts of money throughout the election season that twist and turn political imaging. In fact, Maine tried to stop that, but to no avail. And that money is here being poured into destructive media ads.
Well, my friends, following is where the Pine Tree PAC and Senator Collin’s money is coming from, heavily funded by prominent conservative figures, dark-money networks, and corporate interests.

💲3 million (a dark-money nonprofit that does not disclose its underlying donors).
Stephen Schwarzman: 💲2 million (Blackstone CEO).
Paul Singer: 💲1 million (Hedge fund manager).
John Malone: 💲1 million (Liberty Media Chairman).
James Davis: 💲1 million (New Balance Chairman).
Lexington Fund: 💲1 million (a dark-money group tied to judicial activist, Leonard Leo).

Then this outside our state PAC made national news for spending nearly 💲2 million on aggressive television and internet attack ads targeting Democrat Graham Platner, the frontrunner in the Democratic Senate primary.

Controversy: The PAC’s heavy reliance on "dark-money" (untraceable, non-disclosed donors via nonprofits or opaque corporations) has drawn significant scrutiny and formal complaints to the Federal Election Commission.

Although Maine voters passed a ballot initiative capping super PAC contributions at 💲5,000, federal courts struck down the law as a violation of free speech, allowing the Pine Tree Results PAC to accept unlimited sums from individuals and corporations.