Top Senate GOP group puts pause on spending in North Carolina

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National Republicans are starting to make major moves to divert resources away from the North Carolina Senate race where GOP candidate Michael Whatley has long been trailing in polls.

The Senate Leadership Fund, the top Republican super PAC in Senate contests, is putting a pause on its ad spending in the state, according to a source familiar with its plans.

At the same time, the super PAC is beginning a seven-figure ad campaign in Kansas, where GOP incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall is facing a tough challenge from Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton, the source said.

The news, which was first reported by Semafor, represents a major pivot by Republicans as they seek to save their Senate majority in the upcoming midterm elections.

North Carolina was once viewed as a top-tier seat for the GOP to defend, and the Senate Leadership Fund has already spent over $30 million on advertising in the state this cycle. But Whatley has remained behind the Democratic nominee, former Gov. Roy Cooper, in virtually every recent poll.

By focusing now on Kansas, the group is acknowledging that Marshall needs serious help in a state that President Donald Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2024. Vice President JD Vance recently visited the state to hold a rally with Marshall.

There have been other warning signs for Whatley in recent weeks. Another GOP super PAC, Old North Action, cut its ad reservations in the state by about a third last month. And on Friday, the conservative super PAC Americans for Prosperity Action, which also supports him, announced a $22 million ad campaign through Election Day for five Senate GOP candidates — but not Whatley.

Whatley has waved off concerns about outside funding, saying in a radio interview last week that he feels “very comfortable” he will have the money he needs to win.

Kent Nishimura/Pool/Getty Images

全国共和党人开始采取重大举措，将资源从北卡罗来纳州参议员竞选中转移出去，共和党候选人迈克尔·沃特利在民调中长期落后于该州。

据一位知情人士透露，参议院领导基金（参议院竞选中最大的共和党超级政治行动委员会）将暂停在该州的广告支出。

消息人士称，与此同时，该超级政治行动委员会正在堪萨斯州发起一项耗资七位数的广告宣传活动，共和党现任参议员罗杰·马歇尔正面临民主党牧师亚当·汉密尔顿的严峻挑战。

据 Semafor 最先报道，这一消息标志着共和党人为保住其在即将到来的中期选举中的参议院多数席位而做出的重大转变。

北卡罗来纳州曾被视为共和党必须重点捍卫的席位，参议院领导基金本轮选举周期已在该州投入超过3000万美元用于广告宣传。然而，在最近的几乎所有民调中，沃特利的支持率都落后于民主党候选人、前州长罗伊·库珀。

通过现在将重点放在堪萨斯州，该组织承认马歇尔在这个特朗普总统在2024年以16个百分点的优势赢得的州需要认真的帮助。副总统JD·万斯最近访问了该州，并与马歇尔一起举行了集会。

最近几周，沃特利的处境还出现了其他一些预警信号。另一个共和党超级政治行动委员会“老北行动”（Old North Action）上个月将其在该州的广告投放量削减了约三分之一。周五，同样支持沃特利的保守派超级政治行动委员会“美国繁荣行动”（Americans for Prosperity Action）宣布，将斥资2200万美元，为五位共和党参议员候选人（但不包括沃特利）开展竞选广告宣传活动，直至选举日。

沃特利对外界资金的担忧不以为然，他在上周的一次电台采访中表示，他“非常有信心”自己会有足够的资金赢得比赛。