Unraveling GOP Throws Millions At Senate Races To Avoid Looming Down-Ballot Disaster

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Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:25 pm

As Donald Trump continues to drag down Republican Senate candidates across the country, the party just made a last-ditch attempt not to save their nominee, but to save their majority in the upper chamber of Congress.

According to a report from Politico on Tuesday, the GOP is throwing $25 million into six states – Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania – where its party’s candidates are starting to feel the weight of Trump’s plummeting poll numbers.

The report via Politico:

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The investment from Senate Leadership Fund, a powerful super PAC with ties to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, comes as Democrats shift resources from Hillary Clinton’s now almost certain victory to down-ballot contests in hopes of delivering her a congressional majority.

In an interview on Tuesday afternoon, Steven Law, Senate Leadership Fund’s president and a close McConnell ally, acknowledged Republicans have a tough road to keep their majority – and said the spending push was designed to close a growing funding deficit. In numerous Senate battles, Democrats are outspending Republicans by millions of dollars.

The last-minute move is the latest indication that Republicans haven’t just given up on Trump, who is limping toward defeat, but they’re also panicking that the Senate is slipping away, too.

According to RealClearPolitics, the Democrats are likely to hold 47 Senate seats following the election, while the Republicans are likely to hold 46. The remaining seven, according to the site, are toss-ups. Fortunately for Democrats, their candidates lead in enough of those races to secure at least 50 Senate seats, which is enough for a majority under a likely President Clinton.

Republicans are right to hit the panic button. Not only is Trump on his way to losing them the White House, but he is dragging Senate candidates down with him.

In just two weeks, we’ll see if their last-minute money bomb was worth it.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.