Christie-tied Super PAC spent $7.5 million to oust Menendez

Integrity NJ, a super PAC with close ties to former Gov. Chris Christie spent $7,464,206 in their unsuccessful bid to unseat U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The group spent most of their money on negative TV ads attacking Menendez, who won a third term on November 6 by a 54%-43% margin over Republican Bob Hugin.

The biggest donors to Integrity NJ were the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC founded by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Nicholas Brady.  The McConnell PAC contributed $3 million and Brady, who represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate for a few months in 1982, donated $950,000.

The super PAC was headed by Phil Cox and Peter Sheridan, both former Christie staffers.

Cox, the group’s chairman and senior advisor, was executive director of the Republican Governors Association when Christie was chairman of the group. He also headed America Leads, a super PAC founded to back Christie’s 2016 presidential run.

Sheridan, formerly the executive director of the New Jersey GOP, worked on both of Christie’s gubernatorial campaigns and served on Christie’s transition out of the governorship. Sheridan is the PAC’s executive director.

Many of the super PAC donors had ties to Hugin.

The super PAC also received $500,000 from American Economic Freedom Alliance (AEFA), a shadowy non-profit group with close ties to Vice President Mike Pence.

Integrity NJ reported a cash-on-hand of $23,513.