GOP Super PAC Abandons North Carolina, Scrambles to Defend Kansas Stronghold
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The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican-aligned super PAC, is pulling ad spending from North Carolina and pouring money into Kansas, exposing the GOP’s vulnerability even in deep-red states as Democrats fight to reclaim the Senate.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely tied to the Republican Senate establishment, has announced it will stop buying new ads in the North Carolina Senate race, instead shifting its resources to Kansas—a move that highlights the GOP’s growing desperation to defend its crumbling base. According to two sources familiar with the decision, the PAC had already spent over $17 million in North Carolina in September, with $19 million in ads booked through Election Day, but will now halt further investments there.
In Kansas, the PAC has committed more than $8 million to prop up Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall against Democratic challenger Pastor Adam Hamilton. The race has become unexpectedly competitive, reflecting how Democratic efforts to contest so-called ‘safe’ Republican seats are rattling the GOP establishment. Democrats need to win four more seats to take back control of the Senate, and the GOP’s defensive spending in Kansas is a clear sign of their anxiety.
The PAC’s spending spree this cycle also includes $78 million in Texas through an affiliated group, nearly $33 million in Ohio, and millions more in Michigan, Iowa, Maine, Georgia, Alaska, and New Hampshire, according to ad-tracking data. This massive outlay underscores the Republican Party’s reliance on dark money and big donors to try to hold onto power.
North Carolina remains a battleground, with former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley facing off against Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. Whatley’s spokesperson, DJ Griffin, claimed the campaign has enough resources to attack Cooper’s record, while Cooper’s campaign manager, Jeff Allen, called North Carolina “a 50-50 state” and stressed the importance of mobilizing every voter.
Despite the shifting priorities, the Senate Leadership Fund has not paused spending in other key races, such as the Georgia contest between Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and his Republican challenger. The GOP’s frantic spending and shifting strategies reveal a party on the defensive as the 2024 Senate map tilts toward Democrats.