Democrats and Republicans might hate each other's guts, but they can agree on at least one thing: The Lincoln Project sucks, and should stop meddling in the 2022 elections with its self-righteous "pro-democracy" nonsense.
"Pls no," wrote Izzy Levy, communications director for Tim Ryan, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Ohio, upon learning the Lincoln Project had identified the Ohio Senate contest as one of "the most crucial races to the survival of democracy in the United States." Luke Thompson, an adviser to Ryan's GOP challenger, J.D. Vance, immediately concurred.
It is understandable why Ryan's campaign would not want the Lincoln Project to get involved in the Ohio Senate race. The scandal-plagued super PAC has a proven track record of helping Republican candidates win elections in swing states. Last year, for example, the Lincoln Project played an instrumental role in Glenn Youngkin's upset victory over Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia gubernatorial election by forcing a bunch of interns to dress up as neo-Nazis and harass Youngkin at a rain-soaked campaign event.
ENDORSEMENT: The Lincoln Project in 2022
In 2020, the Lincoln Project spent $12 million attempting to defeat incumbent GOP senators in seven key races. Republicans went 7-0 in those contests. But even if Vance is certain to benefit from the super PAC's involvement in the Ohio Senate race, that doesn't mean Republicans don't consider the Lincoln Project and the schlubs who run it to be incredibly obnoxious.
In fact, the super PAC schlubs are so annoying they managed to get Republicans to agree with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), the socialist Tesla owner who denounced the Lincoln Project as a "scam." (Fact check: True.) The super PAC might not have much to show for itself in terms of electoral success, but its founding members were able to pay off substantial tax debts after raising tens of millions of dollars from wealthy liberal donors in 2020. Founder Steve Schmidt said he saw the Lincoln Project as a vehicle by which to achieve "generational wealth."
Apart from its inability to defeat Republicans in elections, the Lincoln Project is best known for aiding and abetting the sexual predation of founding member John Weaver, who sent suggestive messages to dozens of young men and at least one 14-year-old child.