A political action committee founded by conservative media personality, low-budget horror movie producer, and perennial candidate Bill Spadea has intensified its digital fundraising blitz by distributing text messages warning supporters of supposed post-election violence from “radical agitators.”
Watchdog groups and political analysts note the messaging mirrors the rhetorical framework that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, while weaponizing public anxieties to drive small-dollar donations.
The text messaging campaign deployed by “Elect Common Sense”—a PAC established by Spadea, a former New Jersey 101.5 morning radio host and 2025 Republican gubernatorial primary contender—warns recipients that “radical agitators won’t accept defeat if the election doesn’t go their way.”
The digital solicitations feature a countdown clock and urge immediate financial contributions, a tactic critics describe as a projection of political violence onto political opponents to monetize voter anxiety.
The controversy highlights a broader pattern of scrutiny surrounding Spadea’s political organizations, fundraising operations, and extensive record of divisive rhetoric.
Observers note that Spadea’s history of public commentary, shifting political alliances, and financial practices have left him with a deeply compromised track record.
Fundraising Tactics and Financial Scrutiny
The PAC’s recent messaging arrives amid ongoing questions regarding the financial operations of Spadea-affiliated entities. Investigative reports from outlets including POLITICO revealed that Spadea’s campaign apparatus utilized out-of-state small-dollar fundraising via the WinRed platform, featuring national pro-Trump appeals and pre-checked recurring donation boxes.
The strategy resulted in widespread confusion among out-of-state retirees, many of whom reported discovering recurring monthly charges after believing they were contributing directly to national federal campaigns rather than a regional political effort in New Jersey.
Furthermore, state election disclosures for the Common Sense Club—a nonprofit organization associated with Spadea—revealed that the group directed a minimal fraction of its raised funds toward actual candidate support, instead funneling substantial resources into administrative expenses and consulting fees tied directly to Spadea’s network.
A History of Controversial Positions and Rhetoric
Critics point to Spadea’s long tenure in public media and political campaigns as a continuous series of controversies and shifting stances that undermine his credibility.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Spadea faced widespread condemnation for utilizing his broadcast platform to rail against public health mandates, encouraging listeners to defy masking requirements by claiming they “make you look stupid,” which prompted formal complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.
He also platformed speakers and attendees associated with extremist groups, including emceeing a December event hosted by the New York Young Republicans attended by white nationalists.
Spadea’s policy proposals have similarly drawn fire from across the political spectrum.
In 2018, he advocated for a state constitutional amendment to dismantle the Mount Laurel doctrine—the landmark judicial mandate requiring municipalities to provide affordable housing—falsely arguing that development increased tax burdens.
In its place, Spadea proposed reducing taxes for the state’s millionaires to attract high-earning residents. His past policy positions have also included support for user fees on public beaches, increased tolls, and paths to legal status for undocumented immigrants.
Political alliances have proven equally fluid. After initially supporting Donald Trump, Spadea publicly called on the Republican tyrant to resign in disgrace in 2021 following the events of Jan. 6.
By 2024, however, he pivoted back to a pro-Trump stance after briefly supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and encouraging donations to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
When Trump ultimately endorsed primary rival Jack Ciattarelli during the 2025 gubernatorial race, Spadea publicly condemned the endorsement as a mistake.
Electoral Defeats and “Shadow Campaign” Allegations
Spadea’s political ambitions have consistently underperformed at the ballot box. His career began with a congressional run in New Jersey’s 12th District in 2004, where he lost by 19 points despite outraising his opponents, followed by a failed bid for the State Assembly in 2012, where he lost his home district in Princeton.
During the 2025 gubernatorial cycle, Republican primary opponents—including Ciattarelli and state Senator Jon Bramnick—filed formal complaints with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).
The filings alleged that Spadea’s daily four-hour radio broadcast constituted an illegal “shadow campaign” and amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars in hidden in-kind contributions from his employer, Townsquare Media.
Spadea denied the allegations as “lawfare” but ultimately stepped down from his radio post in January 2025 as the primary intensified. He went on to lose the June Republican primary to Ciattarelli by a 40-point margin, capturing roughly 22% of the vote.
As the Elect Common Sense PAC continues its aggressive fundraising appeals, watchdogs and political opponents argue that the messaging relies on manufactured outrage and recycled conspiracy theories, further underscoring what critics characterize as a persistent lack of political and civic credibility.
Spadea’s political action committee is under fire for blasting voters with a text message that weaponizes legitimate fears about political violence while trafficking in the kind of falsehoods that fueled the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
The message from Spadea’s PAC, Elect Common Sense, warns that “radical agitators won’t accept defeat if the election doesn’t go their way” and asks recipients if they are “personally concerned about political unrest or violence after the election results”.
The missive, which includes a fundraising countdown clock, urges supporters to donate to “Elect Common Sense”.
The text’s framing — that “radical agitators” are the threat — inverts the reality documented by journalists, Democrats and independent experts who watched the lead-up to the Capitol riot.
It was Trump Republicans, not radical leftists, who sought to overturn the 2020 election results, a scheme for which Trump was indicted. Spadea himself has spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and vaccines, and has a history of echoing talking points that align with Trump’s most extreme factions.
The PAC’s message arrives as Spadea seeks to position himself as the most MAGA-aligned contender in the state. Elect Common Sense has raised significant sums, but the group’s fundraising tactics have also drawn scrutiny, with reports of out-of-state seniors unknowingly signed up for recurring donations.
The text message’s warning about “radical agitators” is a cynical projection, critics say.
By asking supporters to fear unrest from the left, Spadea’s PAC is both monetizing anxiety and preemptively delegitimizing any electoral outcome that doesn’t favor Trump Republicans — the very playbook that preceded the violence of Jan. 6.
Spadea did not respond to a request for comment.
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