Senate Republicans have begun to reverse course with some of their midterm campaign strategies, shifting their focus to a handful of swing states and changing up their messaging on key areas.
Republicans are zeroing in on the November election, hoping to reverse recent concerns that the party may have an uphill battle to win the upper chamber due to the “candidate quality” of some Republicans who won their primaries.
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The shift in focus comes as Democrats have gained momentum in recent weeks, particularly in key Senate races such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin that show Democratic candidates leading the polls.
Campaigns typically undergo strategic changes as candidates shift from primary season to the general election. However, the most recent moves show a deliberate effort from Republicans to recalibrate.
Several GOP fundraising groups have already begun moving their focus, reallocating funds toward states that may need an extra boost ahead of the November election.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), announced it would scrap about $8 million worth of advertisements in Arizona and Alaska as Republican candidates in the states hold comfortable leads. Meanwhile, One Nation, a fundraising group that is affiliated with the Senate Leadership Fund, is pouring an additional $10 million in advertising into more competitive races, according to CNN.
As GOP organizations rearrange their funding, Republican candidates are beginning to shift their messaging on key campaign areas. Several GOP candidates have begun to tweak their messaging on abortion, with some working to clarify their positions as Democrats have seized on abortion access to motivate voter turnout.
Blake Masters, the Republican nominee for Senate in Arizona, reportedly changed some of the language on his campaign website surrounding abortion, removing a line that referred to himself as “100% pro-life” and clarifying that he supports bans on “very late-term and partial-birth” abortions.
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Democrats are slightly favored to win control of the Senate in November, according to election forecaster FiveThirtyEight Politics. However, some strategists say the political environment does not indicate how the midterm elections will go — with the future of congressional control still up in the air.
“We are a lifetime away from Election Day,” Terry Sullivan, who has worked on several Senate campaigns, told the Hill. “If you’re an undecided voter, you’re not paying attention to candidates at this point. It’s gonna be well after Labor Day, you’re gonna start to tune in, and so right now, you know, where people are at today doesn’t matter. What matters is where they’re at in a month.”
