Who Benefits From Greg Levy's US Senate Run in Ohio?

Despite it being full of sound and fury signifying something akin to pipe dreams, the political platform of Greg Levy is still the most progressive of all US Senate candidates in Ohio. That’s good, and that’s it.

All else strongly suggests a candidacy designed, whether intentionally or not, to shift significant voters from the only viable progressive candidate in this critical race: Sherrod Brown. The danger is that Levy may do to the 2026 Senate race in Ohio what Ralph Nader did to the 2000 Presidential race in Florida—snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory for progressive forces.

Polls show this Senate race to be highly competitive. One conducted in late September by the reputable Rasmussen Project gives Brown a slight 3-point lead over Husted, but it also reveals significant support for Levy ranging from 1% to 9% depending on the demographic. Within the 19-29 age group, Levy has an estimated 6% of the vote, and among voters without a high school diploma the support reaches 9%. His overall support currently stands at around 2%—within striking range to knock Brown out and keep the US Senate in MAGA control.

It does not get much uglier than this.

Much of Levy’s popularity, especially among the youth, stems from his pro-Palestine stance and his critique of Brown acceptance of AIPAC money. However, Levy’s campaign is also not without dubious donations. His very first recorded and largest single donation, $3500 given in early October 2025, came from Matthew Meyer, a Graduate Research Associate at Ohio State University. The monthly stipend for a GRA is $2.897. A much more troublesome campaign donation, the second largest single one, $1,041.96, came from Ada Rauschenbach, who is employed as a highly specialized communications engineer for iDirect Government, a major military contractor.

According to its corporate self-description, iDirect Government “provides mission-critical Military Satellite Communication solutions; anti-jamming capabilities and cryptographic technologies to the Department of Defense.” In January 2026, it was awarded a $151 billion contract for a sophisticated program (SHIELD) to support Trump’s wild “Golden Dome” defense system. iDirect Government also supplies an Israeli weapons manufacturer (GetSat based in Rehovot) with its advanced software used for “empowering mission success in dynamic and contested environments,” likely a reference to Gaza.

Why would anyone with his livelihood rooted in militarism donate significantly to a candidate who calls for a 90% cut to the Pentagon budget? The question is a rhetorical one, and gives credence to the proposition that MAGA militarists would love to have Levy cause Brown to be defeated.

Campaign donations are part of this nefarious strategy; deceit is another. Levy proudly identifies himself as a member of and organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)—on his campaign materials, but hardly anywhere else. On his FEC candidacy form he filed as an Independent, not a PSL member. However, according go an Ohio Secretary of State Directive, “An independent candidate must actually be unaffiliated from any political party, and the required claim of unaffiliation must be made in good faith for the candidate to be qualified to run as an independent candidate.” On the Ohio ballot, Levy is identified as an “other-party” candidate, the only one with that curious designation.

Nevertheless, in countless media reports and voter guides, Levy is identified as an Independent and no mention is made of his PSL membership. An article in a Suffolk University publication even calls him a “No Party” candidate, and The Times of Israel claims he is a “DSA-endorsed Senate candidate” who is running as an Independent.

One does not build a socialist movement by failing to be identified as a socialist in the media; but being labeled an Independent attracts a wider electorate, which is precisely what Levy needs to siphon off sufficient voters from Brown. Adding to the contention that Levy’s campaign was launched to target Brown is the timing of its filing. Brown filed for candidacy on August 18, 2025, and Levy subsequently did so within a month, on September 12.

However, another filing within 4 weeks of the midterm elections revealed a sinister GOP plot designed to help assure Levy successfully plays the spoiler role of a shill candidate. On October 5, a newly formed Republican PAC (Enough Promises Ohio) with ties to Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC, spent $195,519.98 to Seven Farms of South Carolina for printing and mailing services in support of Gregory Lee Levy, who is explicitly mentioned in the filing; two days later the same GOP outfit invested another $215,659.58 for similar services in opposition to Brown. Seven Farms uses the same address as a political vendor that has been paid by No Going Back, another super PAC linked to Trump.

The campaign mailers, which were sent to countless likely voters in Ohio, vigorously promote Levy over Brown with phrases like “Join the Revolution,” “Free Palestine” and, “Send a Worker to the Senate.” Such slogans have been extensively used on Levy’s campaign literature and signs.

It does not get much uglier than this. Having MAGA forces spend nearly $200,000 to actively promote a nonviable socialist candidate in order to defeat a viable progressive one tells you all you need to know about this crucial election: a vote for Levy is, in effect, a vote for the fascist MAGA candidate.

After this revelation of massive MAGA support for Levy’s campaign, there is really only one honorable option for a campaign that should never have started: withdrawal.