Democratic ad campaign targeting Texas, Florida U.S. Senate races

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced it launched a “multimillion dollar” television ad buy targeting two U.S. Senate races it thinks it can flip blue in Texas and Florida.

This is after it directed funds and efforts towards roughly 10 U.S. Senate races nationwide.

In Texas, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. In Florida, U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Miami, is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, the state’s former governor.

Neither Allred nor Mucarsel-Powell have significant name recognition but Democratic strategists believe they are competitive because of down ballot voting, campaign strategists have told The Center Square.

Several polls show Cruz and Scott are ahead in their races, but not by much.

“Senate Democrats are expanding the map and going on offense,” DSCC Chair Sen. Gary Peters, D-MI, said in a statement announcing the latest fundraising push. “All cycle long the DSCC has been preparing to take advantage of Sens. Cruz and Scott’s damaged standings in their states – and now our efforts in Texas and Florida are accelerating. Democrats have strong candidates running effective campaigns in both states, and as we escalate our communications against Sens. Cruz and Scott we will crystallize the case against them.”

The announcement doesn’t say how much the Texas, Florida television ad buys are.

The DSCC began targeting Cruz and Scott last September, claiming that their votes against continuing resolutions or omnibus bills threatened Social Security among other programs. Cruz, Scott and others voted against such measures, citing fiscal responsibility and the fact that federal law requires that 12 appropriation bills be passed, which hasn’t happened in decades, The Center Square reported. They’ve also argued that Congress keeps passing bills members don’t read, waste taxpayer money and put the country further into debt.

The latest round of television ads follows $25 million the DSCC spent on direct voter contact programs in 10 states (Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin).

These programs included “ground organizers that will reach voters at the doors and in their communities; programs to reach voters on their phones, … young voters and communities of color; and digital organizing programs to reach voters online,” it says.

This is after the DSCC dedicated “$79 million advertising onslaught” in nine states (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin), it says. It’s also after $239 million was spent targeting key Republicans by a super PAC, Senate Majority, Politico reported.

In January, the DSCC announced a multi-million-dollar investment to fund staff on the ground in 10 states (Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin) and offices in five states: Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

In some of these races, like in Montana and Nevada, where incumbent Democrats appear to be in trouble, their campaigns have appeared to distance themselves from Biden-Harris border policies, The Center Square reported.

As of June 30, 2024, Cruz had raised $57.77 million and had $12.7 cash on hand. Allred had raised $37.85 million and had $10.45 million cash on hand, according Federal Election Commission data published by Open Secrets.

As of July 31, 2024, Scott had raised $29.86 million and had $3.26 million cash on hand. Mucarsel-Powell had raised $14.25 million and had $4.36 million cash on hand, according Federal Election Commission data published by Open Secrets.