Super PAC 'You Can Push Back' spent $2M influencing 2026 elections | The Locally Times
Federal filings show the committee raised $3.5 million and spent over half its funds in four months without disclosing its specific political agenda.
As an independent expenditure-only committee, the group operates without coordinating with official candidate campaigns, yet it has already utilized more than half of its total $3,500,000 in receipts to influence upcoming electoral outcomes. The committee, which maintains a cash-on-hand balance of $1,436,470, is categorized as an 'unauthorized' entity, meaning it functions entirely outside the control or oversight of the candidates it may be supporting or opposing. While the FEC filing confirms the scale of the financial activity, it provides no information regarding the specific candidates, ballot measures, or political issues targeted by the $2,063,530 in expenditures. ## Financial Disclosures The June 9, 2026, FEC filing identifies James Sutton as the treasurer for 'You Can Push Back.' The report covers financial activity from the start of the 2026 cycle through the reporting deadline of April 30, 2026. During this four-month period, the committee accumulated $3,500,000 in total receipts. Despite the significant influx of capital, the committee's public filings do not list the names of the donors who contributed the $3.5 million. The records also lack itemized details regarding the nature of the independent expenditures, such as whether the $2,063,530 was allocated toward television advertising, digital media campaigns, or direct mailers sent to voters. ## Impact on Local Elections For residents, the activity of this committee represents a significant, albeit opaque, force in the 2026 election cycle. Because the group is not required to coordinate with official campaigns, it can deploy messaging that may deviate from the stated platforms of the candidates involved in the race. This spending influences the political environment in which voters make decisions about tax rates, school board priorities, and local infrastructure projects. The absence of disclosure regarding the committee's specific objectives means voters currently have no way to verify the origins of the political messaging they encounter. The committee retains $1,436,470, suggesting that additional spending is planned as the election season progresses toward the November 2026 dates. ## Reporting Gaps The current FEC records provide a snapshot of activity only through April 30, 2026. Consequently, there is no public information regarding the committee's financial activity or spending patterns for the period between May 1, 2026, and the June 9, 2026, filing date. The committee's filings do not indicate which specific geographic areas or local races are the primary focus of the $2,063,530 already spent. Furthermore, the records do not reveal the strategic intent behind the committee's formation. While the committee is legally permitted to spend unlimited amounts of money on independent expenditures, the lack of transparency regarding its donors and its targeted beneficiaries leaves the public without a clear understanding of who is funding the influence effort or what specific policy outcomes the group seeks to achieve. **Who is funding this committee and what candidates are they supporting?** The FEC filings do not disclose the names of the donors who contributed the $3,500,000 in receipts, nor do they specify which candidates or ballot measures the committee is targeting with its spending.