Super PAC makes late entry into CD2 race; incumbent deletes a social media video

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner had a question for a newly formed Maryland super PAC that committed nearly $41,000 to support his Republican opponent in Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District race: Why are you trying to influence an election in a place you’ve never even visited?

The two-term Democratic incumbent put the question to the group’s treasurer himself, then posted a video of their conversation on social media Tuesday.

“This is a super PAC run by a guy who’s never been to Rhode Island, who doesn’t seem to know much about Rhode Island, but wants to try to tell us who we should elect to Congress,” Magaziner said in the video.

But the videos about Common Sense America PAC had been taken down from Magaziner’s social media pages as of Thursday. 

Campaign spokesperson Jess Vaughn told Rhode Island Current the posts were deleted “out of an abundance of caution” after reviewing the laws governing recorded calls. The super PAC’s treasurer, Hong Chuan Liang, said he didn’t know he was going to be part of campaign material.

Violating Maryland’s recording law can be charged as a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

“When he called me, he didn’t tell me whether he was recording,” Liang told Rhode Island Current in an interview Wednesday afternoon. “In Maryland, this is an all-party consent state.”

Magaziner made the call from Rhode Island, where state law generally allows someone to record a conversation with the consent of just one party — including the person recording it.

But interstate calls can raise questions about which state’s laws apply. Federal law generally permits recording a call with one party’s consent, but state courts have allowed the stricter state law to govern. 

Vaughn said the campaign reviewed the law and thinks the recording is legal. And, Magaziner is not letting the video’s deletion take away from his overall message about the outside group.

“Rhode Islanders should have no patience for an out-of-state super PAC supporting out-of-state candidate Vic Mellor’s campaign to be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s agenda in Congress,” he said in a statement to Rhode Island Current.

Mellor’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the Common Sense for America PAC. In posts on X Tuesday and Wednesday, Mellor defended the group’s donors and accused Magaziner of hypocrisy over his own campaign financing, pointing to outside spending in support of the Democrat and an $800,000 loan he made to his first congressional campaign in 2022.

Liang said he was grateful Magaziner took the video down, but criticized the congressman for disclosing the donors’ names, saying it was not something a politician should do.

“If you have big donors, millionaires, (it’s) a different story,” he said. “This is all working-class people.”

Who’s behind this super PAC?

Common Sense America PAC registered with the Federal Election Commission on Oct. 5. The group’s statement of organization lists a Rockville, Maryland, address in a business park that includes a mortgage brokerage and title company, just behind a community college.

The group reported $40,600 in independent expenditures exclusively to support Mellor on Oct. 21 and 22, including advertising expenditures involving Google, Roku, Paramount and Disney.

Liang, 63, described himself to a Current reporter as a nearly retired “old guy” whose role in the PAC is limited to ensuring compliance with federal regulations.

“I don’t own the PAC — I’m not the decision maker,” he said.

Liang previously served as treasurer of Common Sense Maryland, a super PAC registered at the same Rockville address in 2024. That group reported independent expenditures supporting Donald Trump’s reelection and opposing Democratic congressional candidate April McClain Delaney in Maryland.

Liang declined to identify who created Common Sense America PAC, saying only that some of its supporters came from communist countries who “enjoy the freedom of this country.”

Campaign finance filings show Common Sense America PAC raised $8,950 through Oct. 14, including $8,750 in itemized contributions from six people living in Maryland, Virginia and New York. 

One donor, Peiliang Cui, is a Virginia-based financial adviser who previously served as treasurer and director of Act 4 Greater America Corp. A 2021 IRS filing described that organization’s primary purpose as promoting “Christian foundation,” socially conservative and traditional values.

In December 2021, the Federal Election Commission upheld a $5,455 civil penalty against Cui  for filing the group’s 2020 year-end report late. The commission also sought clarification about large contributions and missing expenditure descriptions. 

Act 4 Greater America Corp. filed a termination report in July 2022.

Cui did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Against socialism

Common Sense America PAC’s website offers broad statements about its political values, noting its dedication to “informed civic participation, strengthening public engagement in the democratic process, and promoting responsible government.” But the site offers little detail about its leadership or why they support Mellor’s candidacy.

Liang described Common Sense America as a small grassroots conservative group focused on Christianity and traditional values, law and order, and security. He said the super PAC also wants to remove LGBTQ-related content from books available to schoolchildren and strongly opposes socialism.

“We don’t want our country here to turn into that type of country,” Liang said. “We believe (Mellor) has the right voice, we believe he has the right background.”

The rise of the Democratic party’s leftmost wing formed a major concern this election cycle among Rhode Island’s conservatives, with socialism a topic repeatedly invoked by Mellor in televised debates for both the primary and the general election.

But Mellor’s own record includes a recent episode that complicates his presentation as a staunch anti-leftist: a trip to Cuba in which he met with the country’s leadership.

Mellor registered with the U.S. Justice Department as a foreign agent for work involving Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a June filing. He said in a July 25 statement that he traveled to the communist-controlled island for humanitarian purposes and that a meeting with Cuban leadership developed during the trip.

Does this move the needle?

Polls show Magaziner will likely secure a third term as the 2nd Congressional District’s representative.

A survey published Oct. 20 by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University showed Magaziner with 52% support among likely voters, while 39% supported Mellor. Undecided voters comprised 7% of respondents.

The poll produced similar results to the WPRI/Emerson College poll released Oct. 13. In that poll, Magaziner led Mellor 55% to 39%.

“It’s not a winnable seat for Republicans,” Matt Ulricksen, an associate professor of political science at the Community College of Rhode Island, said.

The GOP last held the seat in 1991 when Claudine Schneider was succeeded by now-U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and the district has been represented by a Democrat ever since. Republicans saw their best chance in years to flip the seat in 2022, when longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Langevin’s retirement opened the race during a midterm election year that favored the party nationally. 

Former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, who had twice run for governor, lost to Magaziner by about four percentage points even after outside groups poured millions of dollars in the race.

“Fung’s race is the high watermark for Republican candidates in this district,” Ulricksen said. “I would be shocked if Mellor gets anything close to that especially in a non-presidential year with Trump’s approval ratings underwater, like significantly underwater.”

Reporter Alexander Castro contributed to this story.