Why could MAGA Inc spend $1.6 million directly supporting Van Epps?

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Citizens United v. FEC (2010) allowed corporations and unions to make unlimited independent expenditures supporting or opposing candidates, as long as spending isn't coordinated with campaigns. MAGA Inc., Trump's super PAC, spent $1.6 million on ads and organizing for Van Epps—its first expenditure since the 2024 presidential race. House Majority PAC matched this with $1 million for Behn. These groups raised money from billionaire donors like J.B. Pritzker and Reed Hastings (House Majority PAC) without contribution limits. The key legal distinction: super PACs can't contribute directly to campaigns or coordinate strategy. They run parallel operations—TV ads, canvassing, phone banks—based on public information. Jim Jordan's American Liberty Foundation PAC spent $400,000 more supporting Van Epps. Total outside spending hit $6.5 million, nearly $55 per vote cast. This dwarfed the candidates' own fundraising and let national interests shape a local race.

Why could MAGA Inc spend $1.6 million directly supporting Van Epps?

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