Mitch McConnell’s powerful super PAC canceled half of its ad buy in Arizona because that money had to be redirected to prop up failing JD Vance in Ohio.
JD Vance Costs Republicans In Arizona
The Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is scrapping roughly $8 million in ads — about half of its initial Arizona reservation — that were supposed to start in the early fall. The group’s ads are now set to begin in early October.
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The McConnell-backed super PAC’s strategic change is in part a reaction to its massive $28 million commitment in Ohio, where GOP nominee J.D. Vance is facing a strong challenge from Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). The organization said it will reallocate the money elsewhere and is not planning to totally pull out of Arizona at the moment, as Kelly leads Masters in essentially every recent public poll.
Republicans can say that they are not pulling out of Arizona, but if Kelly still leads in October, McConnell’s super PAC will likely cancel the other half of their scheduled spending.
McConnell Is Having To Redirect Money To Try To Hold On To Red Senate Seats
One of the main reasons why the struggles of candidates who are trying to keep open Senate seats Republican are so important is that they drain resources from other possibly more competitive elections.
Not even Mitch McConnell has infinite resources, so when his super PAC has to dump $28 million into an election that they assumed would be a safe Republican contest, there is less money for other races.
Even if Republicans save Vance and keep the Ohio Senate seat red, it may cost them a chance to pick up a Senate seat in Arizona.
Bad candidates hurt a party’s entire election outlook, which is why where money needs to be spent is essential. Democrats don’t have to divert resources to rescue incumbents, which is why they have been able to be aggressive and on the attack in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Thanks to Donald Trump’s poor candidate selection, the Republican Senate map has turned into a series of brush fires and left the party dumping cash into saving seats they currently hold instead of trying to flip seats to take back the majority.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
