Republican super PAC's multi-hundred-million dollar ad buy shows a Senate GOP on defense

Source: Politico

04/06/2026 01:01 PM EDT


The top Senate GOP super PAC is laying down a massive $342 million ad buy in an aggressive push to help Republicans maintain control of the Senate, reserving airtime in eight battleground states in this year’s midterm elections. The Senate Leadership Fund, a group with close ties to Majority Leader John Thune, announced the plan Monday. The group’s initial ad reservation stretches deep into Republican territory.

The super PAC committed $71 million in North Carolina, widely viewed as one of the most competitive seats of the year, in addition to the $42 million it previously allocated in January to help reelect Sen. Susan Collins in Maine.

The list also included GOP-held Senate seats in redder states in its spending list — Alaska, Iowa and Ohio — suggesting the major GOP super PAC is preparing for significant political headwinds in the midterms. The list notably did not include Texas, where the SLF-backed Sen. John Cornyn is facing state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a primary runoff in May. National Republicans have feared that a Paxton candidacy could put the seat in play.

SLF is also spending on three-Democratic held seats, even while defending a broad battleground. SLF committed a collective $107 million in Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is seeking reelection, and the open blue seats in Michigan and New Hampshire.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/06/republican-super-pac-senate-midterm-spending-00860206