Senate Majority PAC backed Jones’ winning Alabama campaign

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A mysterious super PAC that spent millions of dollars backing Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama’s Senate race was heavily funded by the Democratic Senate Majority PAC.

Chris Hayden, spokesman for the Senate Majority PAC, said Tuesday that the group was the primary backer of the PAC called Highway 31, which spent more than $4 million on hard-hitting advertising and mailings to help defeat Republican Roy Moore. Because of reporting and payment schedules, Highway 31 didn’t disclose its donors during the campaign despite its heavy spending.

“Yes, SMP was the contributor to Highway 31. There were a few small donations when Highway 31 became public, but it was predominantly funded by SMP,” Hayden wrote in an email.

Senate Majority said it is solely dedicated to building a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans will hold a slim 51-49 lead in 2018. Jones is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in a quarter of a century.

Hayden said the Senate Majority PAC spent more than $6 million in Alabama. That included: $2 million on television and radio; $2 million on a voter turnout operation in partnership with BlackPAC; $1.5 million on digital advertising in partnership with Priorities USA; and $700,000 on direct mailings. Priorities USA is another Democratic super PAC.