Tim Scott to Senate Republicans: We’re still in this
The NRSC chair told colleagues at a closed-door meeting that they can still maintain Senate control in the midterms.
As the midterm battleground map extends into more Republican territories and party members grapple with the declining national mood, Sen. Tim Scott, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is reassuring his colleagues that they still have a chance to maintain their Senate majority. During a final meeting with Senate Republicans on Wednesday, Scott emphasized that they are "in the fight for our lives" with an increasing number of competitive races.
He compared their situation to Democrats in 2022, when despite President Joe Biden's unpopularity, Democrats managed to gain a Senate seat while losing the House. Scott also noted that Republican voter enthusiasm has surged 20% in the last two months, as per new polling from Peak Insights. He advised Senate Republicans from deep-red states to run as if they are trailing, given that the NRSC will focus their spending on the surplus of competitive races nationwide.
The senator highlighted key races in New Hampshire, Michigan, Maine, Iowa, Ohio, Texas, and Alaska. Even though Republicans can afford to lose up to three Senate seats and still retain control, they need to bolster their position in several battleground states. Polling data suggests that the gap is narrowing in North Carolina and Minnesota is also close.
However, some Republican super PACs are reconsidering their ad spending in North Carolina and Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is favored to win re-election. The NRSC has also taken advantage of recent Supreme Court rulings that permit coordinated spending between candidates and campaign committees at discounted rates. In August and September, Republicans accelerated coordinated spending, matching the substantial funding of Democratic candidates.
Despite Democratic candidates' fundraising lead, Republicans plan to augment it with $29.3 million in coordinated spending, thanks to the lower ad rates they receive. Senator Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Committee, stated that her party could gain six seats.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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