The Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, has slashed its budget for airtime purchases in Arizona, signaling trouble for nominee Blake Masters in his bid to unseat Sen. Mark Kelly (D).
The super PAC, which is allied with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), said it canceled about $8 million worth of TV, radio and digital ads in the state, Isaac Arnsdorf reports.
The move comes a week after the super PAC announced an additional $28 million in Ohio to prop up Republican hopeful J.D. Vance.
The news isn’t great for Masters, who trails Kelly by eight points, according to a recent Fox News poll. The National Republican Senatorial Committee also reduced its spending in Arizona and elsewhere as the group runs low on funds.
Read more on these cuts here.
The super PAC, which is allied with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), said it canceled about $8 million worth of TV, radio and digital ads in the state, Isaac Arnsdorf reports.
The move comes a week after the super PAC announced an additional $28 million in Ohio to prop up Republican hopeful J.D. Vance.
Masters and Vance advanced from their primaries after being boosted by former president Donald Trump and more than $20 million combined from conservative technology billionaire Peter Thiel. McConnell allies approached Thiel for more funding for the general election, but they didn’t receive it. It’s not clear whether Thiel will re-up, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private donor conversations.“We’re leaving the door wide open in Arizona but we want to move additional resources to other offensive opportunities that have become increasingly competitive, as well as an unexpected expense in Ohio,” SLF President Steven Law said in a statement. “We think the fundamentals of this election strongly favor Republicans, we see multiple paths to winning the majority, and we are going to invest heavily and strategically to achieve that goal.”
The news isn’t great for Masters, who trails Kelly by eight points, according to a recent Fox News poll. The National Republican Senatorial Committee also reduced its spending in Arizona and elsewhere as the group runs low on funds.
Read more on these cuts here.