Campaign

Top House GOP super PAC takes out $11M ad buy in final midterm stretch

by Max Greenwood - 10/26/22 9:41 AM ET

Greg Nash
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) addresses reporters during a press event on Thursday, September 29, 2022 to discuss their ‘Commitment to America’ plan.

The leading super PAC for House Republicans is pumping an additional $11 million into ad reservations in key congressional districts in the final two weeks before the midterm elections as it looks to deal a final blow to Democrats’ efforts to maintain control of the House.

The new ad buys from the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) cover 16 districts spanning Maine to California. That includes seven districts that President Biden carried by double-digit margins less than two years ago, the super PAC said.

“CLF continues to raise record sums which has allowed us [to] press our advantage deeper into the map and forced Democrats into tough decisions,” Dan Conston, the president of the super PAC, said in a statement. “Republicans are in a great position to win the majority and we’ll continue making the investments we need in the final stretch.”

The biggest tranche of money from the group — $1.9 million — will go toward expanding its existing ad buys in California’s 47th District, where Rep. Katie Porter (D) is trying to fend off a tough challenge from Republican Scott Baugh. The CLF is also dropping another $1.8 million in Arizona’s 1st and 2nd districts.

The latest investment from the CLF brings the super PAC’s total spending on reservations above $210 million for the 2022 midterm cycle.

The eight-figure investment in the final stretch of the campaign season comes as Republicans close in on the House majority. The GOP has long been favored to recapture control of the lower chamber, given Republican gains in the decennial redistricting process and the tough political environment facing Democrats this year.

According to the data website FiveThirtyEight’s House forecast, Republicans have an 81 percent chance of recapturing the majority this year.

On Wednesday, Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics shifted its outlook for five House races toward the GOP. Those changes mean that Republicans are now favored to win 218 seats next month — the number needed to win back the majority.