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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Contact: Unai Montes-Irueste, u.montes@peoplesactionpower.org, 310 962 7369 (bilingual)
AIPAC, AI and Crypto Dark Money PACs Poison the Well to Prevent a Progressive from Winning Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District Primary
AIPAC, AI and Crypto Dark Money PACs Poison the Well to Prevent a Progressive from Winning Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District Primary
Millions of Billionaire and Trump-Aligned Dollars Were Spent to Deceive March 17 Democratic Primary Voters to Defeat Chicago’s South-Side State Senator Robert Peters
Millions of Billionaire and Trump-Aligned Dollars Were Spent to Deceive March 17 Democratic Primary Voters to Defeat Chicago’s South-Side State Senator Robert Peters
CHICAGO, ILL.– People’s Action Power decries the overwhelming disinformation and misinformation campaign funded by big tech, pro-Trump, billionaire-funded PACs to defeat State Senator Robert Peters’ bid for Congress.
“AIPAC, AI, and crypto pooled billionaire money to lie to voters and defeat Robert Peters,” People’s Action Power Political Director Marta Popadiak said. “Over the past several weeks, they’ve spent a fortune to deceive working people because the greedy corporations and corrupt politicians behind them don’t want to be held accountable. AIPAC money bundlers and war profiteers want the Iran war to continue. Big tech does not want any future regulations on crypto, AI, or data centers. They don’t know or care about working people’s problems as costs go up. So, they spread lies about a working class champion Robert Peters – who raised the minimum wage, ended the state sales tax on groceries, and eliminated cash bail in the State of Illinois. Just imagine the lies they will spread across the country before the 2026 midterms are over.”
By early March 2026, crypto-aligned super PACs, AI interests, and AIPAC poured over $18 million into four Illinois congressional primary races.
“We congratulate Robert for standing up to this flood of lies and billionaire cash while keeping his integrity and standing up for the people of his district,” Popadiak added.
Organizations with deceptive names and nefarious agendas, such as Elect Chicago Women, United Democracy Project, Think Big, Affordable Chicago Now, Leading the Future, and Fairshake (a pro-crypto PAC funded primarily by Trump megadonors and business partners Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz) coopted the language of working class populism to confuse voters. Their defeat of Robert Peters represents a loss for the Chicagoans who live in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, and the poisoning of our democracy’s well.
Big corporations and billionaires donate to both sides of the political aisle to hedge their bets, ensuring access and favorable treatment regardless of who controls Congress or the White House. That’s why both Jesse Jackson Jr. and Donna Miller received big-dollar PAC support. And, that’s why Robert Peters was hit with big-dollar PAC attack ads and mailers in Illinois’ 2nd District Congressional race.
Big tech and AIPAC don't care whether Jesse Jackson, Jr. or Donna Miller won. They just wanted Robert Peters to lose.
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Paid for by People’s Action Power, 1449 S Michigan Ave STE 13251 Chicago, IL 60605, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Learn more about People’s Action Power at peoplesactionpower.org.
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