Republican-aligned PAC steps up ad buys ahead of midterms

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) announced on Monday that it had spent $37 million on ad slots to support Republican congressional candidates ahead of the November midterms.

CLF's ad buy will focus on districts with vulnerable incumbent Democrats, such as Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Sean Patrick Maloney, N.Y., and toward defending embattled Republicans, such as Iowa Reps. Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, according to The Hill.

“There is incredible energy behind the fight to elect a new Republican Majority and it only continues to grow by the day,” CLF President Dan Conston said, per the outlet. “Republicans are in a great position to win the House and we’re adding more firepower to the arsenal we need to make it a reality.”

The ad purchases come amid rising Republican concerns about loss of momentum. The GOP currently holds a +0.8% lead in the generic congressional ballot on the RealClearPolitics average, though that figure has declined from earlier this year, after a string of Democratic successes, including the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a $740 billion spending package replete with party agenda items.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has tempered expectations about the party securing the chamber. “Flipping the Senate, what are the chances? It’s a 50–50 proposition. We’ve got a 50–50 Senate right now. We’ve got a 50–50 nation. And I think the outcome is likely to be very, very close either way,” he said earlier in August.

McConnell cited "candidate quality" as a reason for his lowered expectations, in an apparent reference to Trump-backed senatorial candidates in tough races faring poorly in the polls.