EXCLUSIVE: A clean energy group made waves by spending big to help oust Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) in last week’s primary. Now they’ve settled on their next line of attack. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC, backed by solar executives and investors, will plow at least $1 million into defeating Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) in the South Carolina GOP Senate runoff, the group told Playbook. It’s a significant sum — which could grow — for the compressed two-week sprint to Norman’s one-on-one contest against Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) for a full term in the seat once held by her late brother Lindsey Graham. For the renewable energy world, taking down Norman is personal. The House Freedom Caucus member co-launched and co-chaired the Congressional Solar Caucus in 2018. But seven years later, he helped lead the charge to kill Biden-era wind and solar tax credits in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act — and to get President Donald Trump to end them even more quickly than the legislation. “Norman’s somewhat even traitorous to the clean energy industry and solar industry,” said Tom Matzzie, chair of the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition and a solar CEO. “It’s about stopping Norman, but it’s also about sending a message to other members of Congress that if they try to hurt the industry, we’re going to fight back.” Unlike in Tennessee, this race places the group on the same side as Trump, whose endorsement of Graham helped propel her to a first-place finish in the first round. Trump, of course, calls the solar tax credits a “Green New Scam” just like Norman does. And Matzzie freely acknowledged they don’t know Graham’s position. But the point is to punish and make an example of Norman. This is the kind of hardball political tactic not typically seen in the renewable energy world, but which the super PAC — supported by billionaire Chris Larsen — has trumpeted in primaries this year. The group’s late investment in the Ogles race, boosting Charlie Hatcher, dwarfed candidate spending and even a Freedom Caucus-linked super PAC, as POLITICO’s Timothy Cama reported. It also spent to defeat GOP Rep. Chip Roy in the Texas AG race and Norman when he ran for South Carolina governor earlier this year, as well as to boost Conservative Climate Caucus leader Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa). But solar tax credits are nowhere to be found in the group’s South Carolina ads, which will launch this weekend on TV and digital. (The PAC is also eyeing potential get-out-the-vote tactics to bolster Graham, and it will evaluate next week whether to expand the ad campaign.) They’re far from a top issue in the race. Instead, the spot calls Norman a “MAGA traitor,” trying to put as much daylight between the congressman and Trump as possible: “Trump doesn’t want him. Why would we?” “It’s not just the policy disagreement, it’s the vilification of clean-energy technologies and our industry by these members of Congress,” Matzzie said. When the industry wants to build solar power plants, for instance, some local officials “take their signals and their cues” from national Republicans — so the “scam” language has an impact, he added. Norman’s campaign slammed the super PAC as antithetical to his America First approach. “Ralph Norman fought to end Joe Biden’s Green New Scam subsidies in the House, now far-left socialists from California are spending BIG to try and keep him out of the Senate,” campaign spokesperson Preya Samsundar said. “Why? Cause they need friends to move their agenda forward.” Graham’s campaign declined to comment. Graham also got a notable boost today as Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.), who came in third place in the Senate primary, provided one of the biggest outstanding endorsements that had been left on the board, per POLITICO’s Alec Hernandez. Behind the scenes, Trump is weighing whether to go all in on fighting to boost Graham — and he asked Mark Sanford to endorse her, WaPo’s Natalie Allison reports. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition won’t stop in South Carolina. As primary season winds down, the group plans to play in competitive general election races as well. For the year as a whole, its political spending will likely stretch into eight figures. Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop us a line at eokun@politico.com and ewells@politico.com.
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