FACT Files FEC Complaint Against Wyoming Group for Failing to Register as a Political Committee

Project Winchester has failed to disclose any federal spending despite obvious advocacy and political expenditures 

Washington, D.C.— July 1, 2025 — Today, the non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint requesting the Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigate and take proper action against Project Winchester for failing to register with the FEC.

Project Winchester is a Wyoming-based organization that advocates for the defeat of Congresswoman Harriet Hageman in the 2026 midterm elections. Since at least June 2025, the group has operated a website and an X account with the stated mission of “Defending Wyoming. Defeating Hageman.”

On its website, Project Winchester explicitly describes itself as a “grassroots campaign to remove Harriet Hageman from office and defend Wyoming’s public lands,” and features an image of Rep. Hageman pulled directly from the official U.S. House Clerk’s website. Its X account reinforces this message, stating the group’s mission is “to remove her from office.” Since June 19, 2025, the account has repeatedly posted or re-posted anti-Hageman messages. (See photos in the full complaint.)

In addition to opposing Hageman, the group has solicited contributions, mobilized volunteers, and, crucially, claims to have undertaken a statewide advertising campaign. The costs of these activities -- combined with the expenses associated with launching and managing digital platforms -- likely exceeds $1,000, which surpasses the threshold requiring registration as a political committee with the FEC.

“There are many reasons we urge the FEC to immediately investigate and take proper enforcement actions against Project Wichester. Chief among these is that, according to their own public statements, they have engaged in a statewide advertising campaign which, especially given their other known expenditures, would appear to exceed the $1,000 threshold for registering as a Political Committee. The importance of this matter lies in the fact that, for good reason, our system and laws do not allow for nameless and faceless political advocacy–you have a right to advocate against someone, but not in secret. The public has the right to assess the veracity of advocacy based upon the source. Especially with the availability of social media and websites, we have recently seen an increase in attempts to evade this law and stay in the shadows, which makes it all the more critical that the FEC stays vigilant in enforcing this law.” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.

A full copy of the complaint can be found here and the exhibit showing the organization’s website here.

FACT is a nonprofit organization promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org

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