Conservatives in Congress are watching next year’s Senate map very closely, which, as of now, seems to be quite favorable for Republicans, though there are a number of vulnerable incumbents they will need to protect if they want to keep their majority following next year’s midterms.
Fortunately, some good news has come in that has bolstered their hope for success. The main fundraising apparatus for the Senate GOP reported a total record smashing haul for the first half of the year, which went far beyond what they were expecting. And they were expecting quite a bit.
Numbers like this sets up both incumbents and challengers to be formidable opponents 16 months ahead of the election.
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The Senate GOP’s top super PAC and its affiliated entities raised a combined $85 million in the first half of the year, more than doubling their previous record. The largesse underscores how potent Republicans’ fundraising prowess has become under Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who assumed his position after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), another fundraising powerhouse, announced his decision to step down from leadership and not seek reelection.
Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, credited President Donald Trump with being more involved than he had been when McConnell was in charge of the effort. Latcham co-runs the PAC alongside former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) after the duo took over from Steven Law, a close McConnell ally.
“We’re working with [the White House] to identify and vet Senate candidates,” Latcham said in comments delivered to Axios, going on to say that President Trump’s involvement has been an asset “as we navigate some of these primaries.”
Latcham also said they have been in regular contact with the administration at the White House both in person and over the phone.
“The group has already begun investing in Georgia, North Carolina, Maine, Alaska, and Nebraska, where strong Republican incumbents, open seats, and embattled weak Democratic senators present one of the most favorable maps in recent years,” the report continued.
The SLF is also planning to throw support behind GOP Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and others like him, who are exposed to a primary challenge. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running for Cornyn’s seat with the incumbent trailing in the latest polls.
SLF and its network of outside organizations more than doubled the $38 million record haul set back in 2023, Latcham said. They start the second half of 2025 with $83 million in cash on hand, while the SLF alone has $29 million. That’s three times as much cash on hand at this point in 2023, and five times as much as in 2021, he added.
The report goes on to add that the excitement about Trump’s administration is also helping to get things moving at a good clip.
A growing number of “cord-cutters,” primarily younger voters who have been more disengaged or harder to reach, will be a focus of SLF spending on streaming services next year, he explained. Much of the strategy, carried out in partnership with the White House, will focus on turning out Trump supporters who are less likely to vote in midterm years.
“What will not change is that SLF will continue to be the preeminent outside group dedicated to, you know, keeping and expanding the Senate Republican majority, ” Latcham concluded.
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