Republican Senate Super PAC Shifts Ad Spend From North Carolina to Kansas
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The Senate Leadership Fund has halted its advertising in North Carolina and launched a seven-figure campaign in Kansas as GOP strategists reassess Senate race priorities ahead of the midterms.
The Senate Leadership Fund, the leading Republican super PAC for Senate contests, announced it will pause its advertising purchases in North Carolina and redirect resources to a new multi-million-dollar ad effort in Kansas, a source familiar with the plan said. The move comes as the GOP candidate for the North Carolina Senate seat, Michael Whatley, has lagged behind Democratic nominee former Governor Roy Cooper in recent polling, despite the super PAC having spent more than $30 million in the state this cycle.
In Kansas, the PAC is targeting incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who faces a competitive race against Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton, according to the same source.
"The fact that the biggest Republican Senate Super PAC took its money out of North Carolina today and put it into Kansas says all you need to know about which direction the Senate Majority is headed," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X.
The shift reflects broader Republican calculations about where to allocate limited funds to preserve their Senate majority. Other GOP-aligned groups have also reduced spending in North Carolina; Old North Action cut its ad reservations by roughly a third last month, and Americans for Prosperity Action announced a $22 million ad rollout for five Senate candidates but excluded Whatley.
Whatley told a radio audience he remains confident about financing his campaign. Meanwhile, some Republicans have floated the idea of scaling back support in both North Carolina and Georgia, where Rep. Mike Collins is trailing Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff despite President Donald Trump’s 2024 win in the state.