Why Is a Green Energy PAC Attacking Republicans for Not Being Pro-Trump Enough?

Republican voters who see ads attacking South Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Ralph Norman as insufficiently MAGA might be surprised to learn about the major donor behind those messages.

“Ralph Norman: MAGA Traitor,” reads one ad from the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC. “Ralph Norman betrayed President Trump by endorsing against him in 2024. … Ralph Norman is a MAGA traitor.”

So, what is the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC?

According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, the PAC received more than 88% of its funding—$6 million out of $6.78 million—from one man, Chris Larsen.

So, is Larsen a Trump donor? Far from it. He contributed $1 million worth of cryptocurrency to Future Forward, a PAC supporting then-Vice President Kamala Harris, in 2024. In May, he told Politico he was “a big believer in Gavin” Newsom for the 2028 Democrat presidential primary, and he plans to boost California’s Democrat governor “any way we can.”

Larsen in May called the PAC’s advocacy “political warfare,” according to Politico. “The worst that you want in a political fight is for your opponents to think you’re weak,” he said.

He is not the only green energy advocate backing the PAC. Mark McCall, who led the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office under President Barack Obama, contributed $200,000. Jigar Shah, who directed the same office under President Joe Biden, contributed $50,000. Michael Brune, former executive director of the Sierra Club, co-founded the PAC.

“The clean energy industry’s political muscle is only getting stronger and more intimidating,” Brune, said. “So our hope here is that clean energy will go back to being a bipartisan issue, and maybe one of the few issues that all Americans can agree on. But before we get there, we’ve got to continue our retribution tour and take out a few more members who have voted the wrong way.”

The “retribution tour” refers to getting revenge on certain Republicans in Congress who pushed for a quick phaseout of renewable energy incentives in what became the One Big Beautiful Bill. The PAC targeted Republican Reps. Norman of South Carolina in his campaign for governor, Andy Ogles of Tennessee in his congressional primary, and Chip Roy of Texas in his race for Texas attorney general, all of whom pushed the phaseout.

As with the recent ads against Norman, Invest in Tomorrow Coalition’s ads against Roy in the attorney general race attacked the congressman as having “turned his back on MAGA more than once.”

The PAC spent $2 million opposing Ogles, who lost his primary. It spent more than $650,000 opposing Roy, who also lost his primary. Norman faced similar negative ads in the South Carolina governor race, and lost that primary. Now, he’s running for the GOP nomination for Senate against Darlene Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. The PAC reportedly plans to spend $1 million against him.

The PAC has supported some Republicans but appears to have spent more money opposing sitting candidates.

It has reportedly considered targeting other Republicans, including Rep. Barry Moore in Alabama’s Senate race, Rep. Nancy Mace in South Carolina’s governor race, and Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida’s governor race. Moore and Donalds prevailed in their races, while Mace lost decisively.

MAGA messaging may resonate with Republican primary voters more than climate narratives, but the messaging decision also makes sense at a moment when climate activism appears to be on the back foot.

The Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump slashed funding for climate projects, citing waste, fraud, and abuse. Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, a major climate donor, has dialed back his previous alarmist rhetoric. Meanwhile, the climate group Greenpeace is seeking to appeal a $345 million court judgment that the group says might bankrupt it.

The Daily Signal asked the PAC why it uses MAGA-themed messaging to pursue climate-related goals and whether Larsen has decision-making authority regarding candidate targeting. The PAC did not respond before publication.

The Daily Signal also reached out to the companies led by Larsen, McCall, and Shah and did not receive a response.