The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has reserved nearly $50 million in television advertising set to run in the weeks leading up to November’s midterm elections, an early hint at the party’s plan to maintain their House majority.
The reservations are preliminary, and in most cases television stations do not require a political party to actually send a check until the ads are set to run. But the NRCC’s reservations allow them to lock in a lower rate than late-comers would otherwise be afforded.
{mosads}The NRCC is placing much of its early bet on Pennsylvania, where new court-drawn district lines have scrambled the playing field and put several incumbent Republicans at risk. The party reserved $7.8 million in the Philadelphia media market and $3.8 million in Pittsburgh, an NRCC spokesman told The Hill.
Reserving advertising time does not require a party to ship an actual television spot, either. That means the more than $11 million in Pennsylvania spending could be used to defend or attack candidates in any of a dozen districts covered by the Philadelphia or Pittsburgh markets.
Republicans tipped their hand a little more in the Washington media market, where the NRCC has reserved $6.4 million in airtime. That money would almost certainly be spent to defend Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), who represents a district Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won by a 10-point margin in 2016.
The early buys also hint at top Republican priorities in Texas and Colorado. The NRCC reserved $1.8 million in the San Antonio media market, which covers much of vulnerable Rep. Will Hurd’s (R) district. And the party blocked off $1.8 million in Denver, where Rep. Mike Coffman (R) is defending a suburban swing district.
Other reservations can be used to defend any of a handful of members who might become vulnerable in the months leading up to the midterms.
The GOP has also reserved $6.4 million in the Minneapolis media market. Reps. Erik Paulsen (R) and Jason Lewis (R) hold seats targeted by Democrats this year. Republicans have also said they will target Democratic-held seats owned by Reps. Tim Walz (D), who is running for governor; Rick Nolan (D), who is retiring; and Collin Peterson (D), a rare incumbent in a district that backed Trump by a wide margin in 2016.
Republicans have blocked out $3.2 million in the Miami media market, where the party is defending Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R) and an open seat left vacant by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R). The party reserved $3.6 million in Las Vegas, where two Democratic open seats are up for grabs. And it ordered $1.2 million in the Albany media market, which covers parts of districts held by Reps. Claudia Tenney (R) and Elise Stefanik (R).
The NRCC also reserved $5.7 million in advertising in Detroit, which covers seats held by Reps. Dave Trott (R), who is retiring, and Mike Bishop (R) and Tim Walberg (R), who are seeking reelection.
The party committed $1.9 million to advertising in Tucson, Ariz., where Rep. Martha McSally (R) is leaving her swing district to run for a U.S. Senate seat. And the NRCC blocked out $1.5 million in Sacramento and $1.2 million in the San Joaquin Valley — likely the Fresno market — to defend a handful of seats that are top Democratic priorities in November, including those held by Reps. Jeff Denham (R) and David Valadao (R).
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has yet to make its initial advertising reservations for the fall. Both the House Majority Project, the Democratic-aligned super PAC, and its Republican counterpart, the Congressional Leadership Fund, reserved millions in airtime last month for advertising that will run later this year.
Lisa Hagen and Ben Kamisar contributed.