Republicans fight red-state midterm chaos with hundreds of millions in late money

Republicans are pouring an unprecedented wave of late advertising money into House and Senate contests, testing whether heavy spending can offset a deteriorating national climate that has put traditionally safe GOP territory in play. NBC News reports, based on AdImpact tracking data, that since September began the party has placed over $700 million in fresh bookings for congressional races, atop summer reservations. Democrats added more than $430 million over the same stretch.

The imbalance is sharpest in Senate contests, where nearly seven of every ten new dollars come from Republicans. The largest single effort is in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico is challenging for a seat the GOP has long held. A new group, Texas PAC, has committed over $115 million to help Republican nominee Ken Paxton. Because outside groups pay higher ad rates than candidates, the real advantage in airtime is smaller than the dollar gap suggests. Ohio and Michigan, featuring Democrats Sherrod Brown and Abdul El-Sayed, drew upward of $75 million, mostly from Republican-aligned groups. Two other PACs have booked over $150 million across dozens of races, and The New York Times confirmed MAGA Inc. is chiefly funding them.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →