Ambitious anti-Trump PAC

Murphy launches ambitious anti-Trump PAC as 2028 rumors swirl

The Connecticut senator has been positioning himself as a leading voice in the Democratic Party.

By Holly Otterbein

Sen. Chris Murphy is launching a new PAC aimed at taking on President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress — the latest sign the Connecticut Democrat is eyeing higher office, according to plans that were first shared with POLITICO.

Murphy will announce Monday that his group, American Mobilization Project, is doling out $400,000 to organizations that oppose cuts to Medicaid and register young people to vote. Two of the early recipients of his funds are based in battleground states.

In an interview, Murphy said that his PAC is unique because it is not focused on funding campaigns and instead is looking to mobilize people against Trump’s agenda.

“All of us have to realize that if we don’t act aggressively right now to organize and mobilize, we may not have our democracy in 2026,” said Murphy. “I’m a believer that the only thing that is ultimately going to stop Trump’s corruption and his destruction of democracy is mass mobilization.”

Murphy’s PAC expects to spend upwards of $2 million in the 2026 midterm cycle, an aide to the senator said.

In the wake of Trump’s reelection, Murphy has worked to grow his profile and staked out ground as one of the Democratic Party’s most outspoken critics of the president’s efforts to bend institutions to his will. Murphy has appeared on numerous podcasts, held town halls across the country and churned out a steady stream of content on social media.

In the run-up to presidential campaigns, would-be candidates often launch new PACs or outside groups, which can be used to expand their visibility, build their email lists and cultivate political relationships. But Murphy insists his recent moves are not designed to lay the groundwork for a future presidential bid. He has argued that it’s no guarantee that there will even be a race for the White House in 2028, in fact.

“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion there’s going to be an election in 2026 or 2028 for anybody to run in if we don’t do the work right now,” he said, adding, “I hope that this PAC is going to act very differently than everybody else’s PAC because it’s not about banking money or using money for a political campaign or for other people’s political campaigns. It’s about mobilization.”

The first recipients of contributions from Murphy’s PAC include Georgia Youth Justice and Project 26 Pennsylvania. His group is also backing the Committee to Protect Health Care’s work organizing doctors and nurses to support Medicaid in Michigan, Louisiana and Utah.

Murphy is far from the only Democrat who has positioned himself as a future leader of the party as it struggles to find its way back to power. Several potential 2028 candidates have traveled to critical battleground and early-voting states in recent weeks. Last week, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz both visited South Carolina to attend a key Democratic dinner.