American Prosperity Alliance

Two “dark money” groups, American Economic Freedom Alliance and American Prosperity Alliance, contributed $4 million to Conservative Americans PAC, a new OpenSecrets analysis of the super PAC’s August monthly filings revealed. The “pop-up” super PAC spent over $2.4 million in GOP primary races for U.S. House seats in Missouri, Tennessee and Arizona from July 19 to 29 2022. American Prosperity Alliance was incorporated as a 501(c)(4) corporation on May 19 in Virginia. It has no members, according to the incorporation record, but the “sole incorporator” will appoint a board of directors for a three-year term. That sole incorporator is Tom Antonucci, a partner at the law firm Wiley Rein who “regularly advises tax-exempt organizations,” Ryan Salame of FTX allegedly made a $3.2 million donation to a nonprofit group called American Prosperity Alliance with funds from the subsidiary of FTX’s affiliated hedge fund, Alameda Research. The group boasts on its website that it was the leading issue advocacy organization opposed to the Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping tax, health and climate bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It said it spent over $11 million on ads and public opinion research. The group is led by longtime lobbyist Steven Stallmer, according to OpenSecrets. Stallmer’s recent lobbying clients have included health insurance agency MVP Health Care and the Healthcare Association of New York, according to disclosure reports. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., ripped the group on the Senate floor last year for what she saw as false advertising about her stance on drug pricing. American Prosperity Alliance, contributed $4.8 million of the more than $5.7 million reported through July. Conservative Americans PAC refunded $1.6 million to American Prosperity Alliance one day after the dark money group’s last $1.6 million contribution in July, bringing that total down to $3.2 million. American Prosperity Alliance spent about $10 million on TV and radio ads in July, according to Roll Call’s analysis of Federal Communications Commission filings. The dark money group also spent almost $507,000 on Google ads, including one ad targeting Sen. Raphael Warnock (D–Ga.) that was viewed 10 million times.