The primary super PAC for Senate Republicans is redirecting millions of dollars to safeguard a Senate seat in Kansas while reducing its financial investments in a Republican-held seat in North Carolina. These adjustments underscore how the battle for control of the upper chamber is evolving in the final weeks before the midterms, as Republicans fight to defend several traditionally conservative states. Republicans can afford to lose a maximum of three seats and retain their Senate majority, but the party faces a challenging political landscape. As of Friday, the Senate Leadership Fund had reserved $9.8 million in advertising in Kansas, according to AdImpact. By comparison, the group previously spent $17.5 million in 2020 when Senator Roger Marshall first won the seat. In North Carolina, the fund has invested more than $30 million this year according to Federal Election Commission filings, but sources indicate the group has now paused future ad spending in the state. Semafor initially reported on the strategic shift between North Carolina and Kansas. In deeply conservative Kansas, incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall seeks to block pastor Adam Hamilton from becoming the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate since 1932. A recent poll showed the contest in a statistical tie, with Hamilton leveraging voter dissatisfaction regarding energy prices and the conflict with Iran. The incoming funds will likely flood Kansas airwaves with commercials targeting Hamilton. A Marshall campaign ad released Thursday accused Hamilton of concealing child abuse at the large church where he serves as senior pastor. Hamilton refuted the allegation in a rebuttal ad, stating the church investigated accusations against a youth retreat volunteer more than two decades ago, notified police, and barred the individual from church programs—claims supported by a Kansas City Star review of court records. Hamilton described the commercial as typical dirty politics. Meanwhile, polling in the North Carolina Senate race indicates former two-term Democratic Governor Roy Cooper holds an advantage over GOP nominee Michael Whatley, a Trump ally and former Republican National Committee chair. When asked if he was concerned about Whatley’s prospects, President Trump acknowledged that he was, expressing hope that Whatley wins. Cooper campaign manager Jeff Allen noted that North Carolina remains a competitive state, emphasizing that a Democrat has not won a Senate or presidential contest there in nearly two decades. Conversely, Whatley campaign spokesman DJ Griffin expressed confidence, citing historical trends of late-breaking undecided voters typically favoring Republicans. During a closed-door meeting last month, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, informed lawmakers that the party retains a viable path to preserving its majority by focusing on seats in states like Maine and Texas, while targeting Democratic seats in New Hampshire and Michigan.
Source: cbsnews.com
