Democrats have expanded the Senate map this year, recruiting viable candidates in states no one expected them to compete in, such as Arizona and Missouri, and arguably positioning themselves to ride an anti-Trump wave to the Senate majority.
But there’s one big problem: Money.
Republicans are outspending Democrats in key races so far. There’s little indication that Democrats will close the gap as Election Day approaches, and signs the chasm will grow thanks to the longer roster of deep-pocketed outside groups on the right. That’s triggered growing anxiety within the minority party about relinquishing an opening to net the four or five seats they need to recapture the Senate.
Outside Republican groups have jumped to an early lead in spending on Senate races in key swing states like New Hampshire and Ohio. If Republicans come to see Donald Trump as a lost cause in the general election, conservative cash could flood congressional races, which is seen as the GOP’s last line of defense against a Clinton White House and a liberal Supreme Court. Already, some anti-abortion groups are focused on defending the majority rather than supporting Trump.
With a sprawling map of more than a dozen contested states, Democrats want to force Republicans to make hard choices about which vulnerable incumbents they spend to defend. Democratic insiders hope the GOP apparatus won’t be able to provide air cover for everyone and that even outside groups could be spread thin.
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Embattled Toomey agrees to sit with Merrick Garland
By Seung Min Kim
But that might be wishful thinking.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has steadily outraised the National Republican Senatorial Committee, but the NRSC has slightly more cash on hand. And in an interview, DSCC Chairman Jon Tester of Montana raised a red flag that “these damn super PACs” might be an even bigger factor this year than in recent election cycles.
“We’re poised to compete, but the issue is that we need campaign finance reform badly and there’s going to be a lot of money spent this cycle,” Tester said. “Resources, especially in a presidential year, are finite.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) put it more succinctly: “We’re always outspent. The question is, how much?”
Read more:
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/senate-campaign-democrats-221112
