New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg gave $10 million to finance an unusual bipartisan super PAC that spent nearly all its money in less than three weeks.
The expenditures focused on House races, where the billionaire’s money could make a bigger difference than in the Senate or presidential arenas, and broke precedent from other super PACs by running positive ads.
Mr. Bloomberg is an independent in the twilight of his political career, and has suddenly been putting substantial portions of his vast personal wealth into politics. He created the Independence USA super PAC on Oct. 20, after the last pre-election disclosure reports.
Forms filed Thursday confirm that the mayor is the sole funder of the PAC.
The PAC’s expenditures included $3 million in ads supporting Democrat Gloria McLeod, who triumphed in California’s 35th District, and $2 million supporting Democrat Val Demings in Florida’s 10th District, where voters reelected Republican Rep. Dan Webster over the former police chief.
It spent $1 million supporting Republican Andrew Roraback, who lost in Connecticut’s 5th District, and $1 million supporting Republican Rep. Robert Dold, who narrowly lost in Illinois’s 10th District.
The PAC also spent $600,000 on advertisements in non-federal races, and those races remain unknown, since they do not have to be reported to the Federal Election Commission.
