A Republican-linked super PAC has spent nearly $400,000 to promote a socialist third-party candidate in Ohio's 2026 Senate race, according to Spectrum News, in a tactic designed to siphon votes from Democrat Sherrod Brown.
The super PAC, Enough Promises Ohio, paid for mailers supporting Greg Levy, a self-described socialist running under the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Levy's campaign did not authorize or pay for the flyers, which promote his platform points including a "$30 minimum wage," "free Palestine" and "abolish billionaires."
Spectrum News traced the spending through a chain of Republican-connected firms. Enough Promises Ohio ordered the flyers from Seven Farms, a Charleston, South Carolina company that shares an address with Whistlestop Strategies, a direct mail firm for Republican candidates. Whistlestop Strategies is operated by Big Dog Strategies, a political consulting firm whose founder and CEO, Chris Grant, serves as senior advisor to MAGA Inc., the super PAC affiliated with President Trump.
How a tiny campaign became a Republican project
Levy has raised only $80,000 for his campaign and does not accept corporate or PAC money, according to his website. Republican Sen. Jon Husted has raised $14.4 million, and Brown has raised $38.6 million, according to Spectrum News. The disparity in resources made Levy's campaign largely invisible until the mailers arrived in voters' mailboxes.
Big Dog Strategies has worked for prominent Republicans. In 2024, the firm's senior vice president, Bryan Gray, managed the campaign of Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. The firm's website lists consulting work for Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va.
Why Republicans might back a socialist candidate
In a race analysts consider a toss-up with the two major candidates running neck-and-neck, even small shifts in voter preference could determine the outcome. Drawing left-leaning voters to Levy would reduce the Democratic vote total for Brown, potentially benefiting Husted.
The tactic is uncommon but not unprecedented. According to Spectrum News, in 2022, the Voter Protection Project, a Democratic super PAC, spent $700,000 to attack Republicans and boost Libertarian Party candidates. In 2020, the Montana state GOP paid $100,000 to support Green Party candidates.
Unanswered questions about funding and intent
Enough Promises Ohio was created on Sept. 29 and has not yet reported where its contributions came from, according to Spectrum News. The super PAC did not respond to requests for comment about why it would support a socialist candidate running against the Republican in the race.
Levy's campaign condemned the mailers as offensive. "This racist caricaturing of our candidate, a form of digital blackface, is a cheap, cowardly attack that is meant to demean the communities we represent and scare voters away from policies that put the needs of working families ahead of corporate profit," the campaign said in a statement to Spectrum News. The campaign said it was considering legal action against the mailers.
The sources of Enough Promises Ohio's funding, the impact of the mailers on voter behavior, and whether the group will continue spending remain unknown.