GOP Pac Planning Huge Money Move

A major Republican-aligned political action committee is dramatically increasing its spending across several closely watched Senate races as the midterm elections enter their final stretch.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC focused on helping Republicans win and maintain Senate seats, is planning a $14 million advertising push in Kansas to support Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.

The Kansas investment is part of a much broader wave of spending. In recent days, the organization has reportedly reserved another $62 million worth of advertising across multiple battleground states as Republicans work to protect vulnerable incumbents and compete for open seats.

One of the largest investments is in Maine, where the group is adding another $8 million to help Republican Sen. Susan Collins. That brings the Senate Leadership Fund’s total advertising commitment in the state to approximately $50 million.

The organization is also increasing its spending in Alaska, putting another $4 million behind Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Sullivan is facing former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola in what has become a closely watched contest. The additional spending brings the group’s total investment in Alaska to roughly $21 million.

Michigan is another major target. The super PAC is adding $2 million to support former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is seeking an open Senate seat. Total spending commitments in Michigan have now reached approximately $53 million.

The group has also made substantial investments in Iowa and Ohio. It recently added $20 million in Iowa, raising its total planned spending there to about $53 million. In Ohio, another $14 million was added, bringing the overall commitment in the state to approximately $93 million.

Those numbers illustrate how aggressively Republican groups are preparing for the final weeks of the campaign.

President Donald Trump carried several of these states by comfortable margins in the previous presidential election. He won Kansas by roughly 16 percentage points, Ohio by about 11 points, and Iowa and Alaska by approximately 13 points each.

Despite those previous Republican victories, outside groups appear unwilling to take any Senate contest for granted.

Political analysts have pointed to signs that the national environment has become more challenging for Republicans as Election Day approaches, including concerns about voter enthusiasm and Trump’s approval ratings. The increased advertising expenditures suggest GOP strategists are moving resources into states that once may have appeared considerably safer.

Kansas is drawing particular attention.

A Democrat has not won a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas in nearly a century, making the state one of the Republican Party’s longest-standing Senate strongholds. Still, the Senate Leadership Fund is preparing to spend heavily on behalf of Marshall.

Much of the $14 million Kansas investment is expected to finance advertising aimed at Marshall’s Democratic opponent, Adam Hamilton. Hamilton is a pastor and political newcomer who founded one of the nation’s largest United Methodist congregations.

The decision to devote significant resources to Kansas is notable because campaign organizations typically concentrate their largest expenditures in races considered highly competitive.

Some of the Kansas money was reportedly shifted from North Carolina, another important Senate battleground.

There, former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is running against Republican Michael Whatley for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Polling has shown Cooper ahead in the contest, creating a difficult environment for Republicans hoping to keep the seat.

The changing spending strategy offers a glimpse into how Republican organizations are evaluating the Senate map as Election Day draws closer.

Two prominent election forecasters currently classify the Kansas Senate contest as leaning Republican, suggesting Marshall remains favored despite the influx of outside spending.

Those same forecasters rate North Carolina as leaning Democratic.

For Republican voters, the massive advertising campaign demonstrates just how much is at stake in the battle for control of the Senate. Even states with long histories of supporting Republican candidates are receiving millions of dollars in outside investment as both parties search for every possible advantage.

With tens of millions of dollars now flowing into Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, Maine, Alaska, Michigan and other competitive states, the closing weeks of the midterm campaign are shaping up to be extraordinarily expensive.

The ultimate question is whether those advertising dollars will translate into votes when Americans head to the polls.