Mark Kelly from Arizona and Elissa Slotkin from Michigan have put forward a proposal to ban corporate PACs. However, campaign finance records indicate that both received significant funding from these PACs designed to facilitate individual contributions from corporate employees during their electoral campaigns.

Democracy Engine Inc., a PAC, has contributed over $1.1 million to Kelly’s Senate campaign and more than $294,400 to Slotkin’s House campaign since 2020, as per Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. While Slotkin’s campaign returned $1,500 in donations, Kelly’s campaign refunded $6,951, which came from his own PAC, the Mark Kelly Victory Fund.

Jonathan Zucker, CEO of Democracy Engine, created a PAC that effectively lets corporate donors bypass the contribution limits set by federal law. According to a Bloomberg Government report, this PAC allows corporate employees to make contributions in a way that appears to be less controversial than traditional corporate donations.

Parker Sayer, who investigates campaign finance, remarked, “Democracy Engine functions like a corporate pack but with additional steps.” Sayer also expressed skepticism about Kelly and Slotkin’s true intentions regarding the ban on corporate political spending.

Slotkin, a former House member, and Kelly recently reintroduced the bill to ban corporate PACs, restating their long-held position despite having received funding from Democracy Engine. Notably, some contributors to their campaigns are connected to prominent left-wing donor George Soros.

I am one of six senators who have never had a corporate PAC check. Our campaign finance system is broken.

If you want to regain the trust of the left, right and center Americans, that’s easy.

– Senator Elissa Slotkin (@senatorslotkin)

Slotkin’s office clarified that Democracy Engine is “not a corporate PAC.” They described it as a conduit similar to Actblue, allowing individual contributions to flow through. Slotkin’s team did not respond to further inquiries.

Slotkin stated she has always refused contributions from corporate PACs, emphasizing the importance of independence in her decision-making. She thanked Kelly for spearheading the ban on corporate PACs in a recent social media post.

Efforts to contact Kelly’s campaign and Democracy Engine for comments were unsuccessful. Interestingly, while Slotkin did not accept Democracy Engine PAC funds during her Senate race, her prior House campaign in 2018 adhered to her promise of not taking corporate PAC money. Similarly, Kelly, who had previously committed to avoiding corporate PACs, accepted funds from Democracy Engine during his Senate campaign.

The Soros family, notable for its substantial influence within the Democratic Party, has also directed funds to both Slotkin and Kelly through various channels. In April, Jonathan Soros donated $3,500 to Kelly’s reelection campaign, while Jennifer Soros contributed $1,000 to Slotkin’s House campaign in 2022.

Despite attempts to reach the Soros family directly, there was no response to inquiries about the donations. The family, in addition to the Democracy Engine contributions, has provided significant financial support to both politicians individually. Critics argue that the influx of money into politics poses risks and undermines democracy.