Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a Mitch McConnell-aligned super PAC, has booked $141 million worth of fall ad space in September in key states ahead of the election, hoping to flip the Senate back to Republican control in November.
The super PAC has made the massive reservation to protect the seats already held by Republicans in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and their offensive positions to help out the candidates in Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada, Politico reported. The McConnell-aligned group has also put down money to protect the Alaska incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) from her Trump-backed Republican challenger.
SLF’s announcement comes after the Democrats’ Chuck Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC also reserved $106 million in Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The bulk of its ads will reportedly start in August.
The nine-figure amounts set aside for the battleground states are a precursor for what is to come as the November general election gets closer. Both the House and Senate majorities are on the line for the Democrats. The nearly quarter-billion dollars also shows how important it is for each side to win the battleground states.
The Senate currently sits at 50-50 with the Democrats, due to having the presidency and Vice President Kamala Harris. But that could all end in November, with control of the Senate floor and the ability to confirm any of President Joe Biden’s nominees.
“This is such a strong year that we need to invest as broadly and deeply as we can,” said SLF president Steven Law to Politico. “In the Senate, majority control is everything. It determines what happens on the floor and what doesn’t happen. It will have an impact on future Supreme Court nominations. I mean, there’s so much at stake.”
The super PAC plans to spend $37 million in Georgia, $27 million in North Carolina, $24 million in Pennsylvania, $15 million in Nevada, $15 million in Wisconsin, and $14 million in Arizona for the Republican’s battles. The group will also be spending $7.4 million in Alaska to help Murkowski.
Similarly, the SMP has also reserved $26 million in Pennsylvania, nearly $25 million in Georgia, $22 million in Arizona, $21 million in Nevada, and $12 million in Wisconsin.
“Both parties recognize the core 2022 Senate map as competitive races in several ‘built to be close’ presidential battleground states. The GOP carries the burden of bad candidates and a badly damaged brand,” said SMP president JB Poersch to Politico. “SMP’s intent is obvious: Hold the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.”
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.