A top Republican group on Monday dumped another $15 million into the midterm elections, accelerating the air war in the battle for the House.
Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., added three new districts to its fall advertising schedule — in Orange County, Calif.; New Jersey; and New York — and padded previously planned investments in a raft of other battleground seats.
CLF now plans to spend $50 million on broadcast and cable television advertising, plus $10 million on digital spots, to defend the party’s 24-seat majority.
“These efforts ensure that CLF will have the resources needed to prevent Republican members of Congress from being outspent this fall,” Corry Bliss, the super PAC’s executive director, said in a statement.
The group this election cycle raised tens of millions of dollars, enough to afford an expansive air war and nearly three dozen field teams in contested districts, backed by local offices and staff. But its budget was increased significantly after securing an immediate $30 million contribution from Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson.
New seats set to receive assistance from CLF include California’s 39th Congressional District, being vacated by Republican Rep. Ed Royce, $2 million; as well as the seats of Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., $2.1 million, and Rep. John Faso, R-N.Y., $1 million.
The super PAC is set to spend the bulk of its money in these districts in the fall campaign:
- Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., $2.5 million
- Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., $2.7 million
- Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., $1.8 million
- Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, $2.8 million
- Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., $2.8 million
- Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., $4.1 million
Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced new digital ads targeting 20 Republican districts on healthcare.
President Trump’s administration recently decided not to defend Obamacare in a federal lawsuit challenging former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, and Democrats say that could result in a loss of guarantees that Republicans vowed would stay in place, such as the one preventing insurance companies from refusing to provide coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
“House Republicans will stop at nothing to rip away affordable healthcare coverage from their constituents, and we are all at risk as long as they control the House,” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, a New Mexico congressman, said in a statement.
