NotedDC — GOP shuffles Senate resources in final stretch
by Amee LaTour and Elizabeth Crisp - 10/26/22 6:13 PM ET
National Republicans are refocusing their spending efforts in the final weeks of the election as they try to wrestle away Democrats’ slim Senate majority.
The party has gone all-in on trying to keep an open seat in Pennsylvania in GOP hands, while it’s grown optimistic over tightening numbers in places like New Hampshire, where the Democratic incumbent long had an advantage.
The matchup between Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) and celebrity heart surgeon Mehmet Oz (R) in Pennsylvania tops outside spending from all groups at $145 million so far, according to Open Secrets data. And at the top of the Pennsylvania spending list is the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), with $41 million spent this cycle.
RealClearPolitics’ polling average shows Fetterman with 47.3 percent to Oz’s 46 percent.
The SLF recently shifted focus to Pennsylvania from New Hampshire, where it had spent $16 million. The group referred NotedDC to president Steven Law’s comment in Politico: “Dr. Oz is surging, but Democrats are throwing a barrage of late spending into Pennsylvania to stop his momentum. … This is a must-win race where we have to consolidate our firepower to ensure Oz gets over the top. We believe if we win Pennsylvania, we win the majority.”
New Hampshire, where Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) faces Don Bolduc (R), currently sits eighth on Open Secrets’ outside spending list, at $34 million. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is now reinvesting in the state after backing out earlier this month.
“Our polling, along with recent public polling, shows that this race is in the margin of error and winnable,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chair of the NRSC, told Axios. “The NRSC is proud to stand with General Bolduc. We’re going to win this race so Don Bolduc can bring real leadership back to this Senate seat.”
RealClearPolitics’ average of recent polls shows Hassan with 49.3 percent to Bolduc’s 45.7 percent. When the NRSC originally pulled its spending, the average had Hassan ahead 49.3 percent to 43 percent.
NotedDC reached out to the NRSC for additional comment.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/noteddc/3705605-noteddc-gop-shuffles-senate-resources-in-final-stretch/
