GOP senators hit by early wave of outside money ahead of 2020
Democrats spent years sounding the alarm on “dark money” as groups pummeled their senators. Now, the left is the side delivering the early blow.
A quartet of new nonprofit groups has already spent millions of dollars hammering four of the most vulnerable Republican senators on the ballot next year, sparking a wave of concern among strategists trying to protect the GOP’s slim three-seat Senate majority in 2020.
Outside groups in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Iowa have already spent or booked over $1 million in each state — and in some cases much more, according to Advertising Analytics — on advertising criticizing the senators, more than doubling the spending from Republican-aligned groups trying to respond. And in one state, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) has faced the onslaught without any backup from Republican allies.
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The early spending, combined with strong fundraising by Democratic Senate candidates, is a “wake-up call” for the GOP, said Scott Reed, the chief political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is partnering with state affiliates to boost Sens. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) with six-figure ad buys amid the spending deluge against them, running positive ads focused on local issues there and in North Carolina, where Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) faces a primary and a general election challenge.
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/08/senate-outside-money-republicans-2020-067623
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