

Lucas St. Clair, one of three Democrats vying for incumbent Rep. Bruce Poliquin’s (R-Maine) House seat in Maine’s 2nd District, has received substantial support from a dark money group that appears bent on helping him win Tuesday’s closely-watched primary.

But St. Clair, who has come under fire for his alleged connection to the Maine Outdoor Alliance and its mysterious spending, has called on the group to stop supporting him. He’s facing Democratic state legislator Jared Golden and bookseller Craig Olsen in a three-way primary on Tuesday, both of whom have criticized the use of dark money to support St. Clair.

The Maine Outdoor Alliance, a 501(c)(4) group formed this spring, has spent $300,000 backing St. Clair ahead of Tuesday’s primary, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported earlier this month. On its website, the nonprofit organization says it’s “dedicated to ensuring a vibrant outdoor recreation economy and access to high-quality recreation opportunities in Maine.”

The funding behind the group’s political activities, though, remains a mystery. The only named official connected to the Maine Outdoor Alliance is Nathan Deyesso, who the Sun Journal reported served as the best man at St. Clair’s wedding.

The Maine Outdoor Alliance’s ads don’t explicitly tell people to vote for St. Clair, but at least one plays up his help in establishing the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

“Lucas St. Clair was able to sit with the locals and hear their concerns,” a woman says in the ad. “He was able to create a plan that worked for everybody.”

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St. Clair has called on the group to disclose its donors and stop its advertising, the Sun Journal reported. Golden has capitalized on the group’s spending, launching his own ads savaging St. Clair for receiving support from a “secretive group.”

All three Democratic candidates have suggested a need for campaign finance reform, according to the Sun Journal.

Golden has outraised St. Clair as of May 23, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The state legislator has raised more than $757,000, while St. Clair has raised just under $543,000.

St. Clair received a roughly $95,000 boost from the League of Conservation Voters’ super PAC — which does disclose its donors — last week, per FEC filings. Most of that money was spent on TV ads.



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