Senate GOP group pours millions into defending Kansas seat, scaling back in North Carolina, sources say
Senate Republicans' main super PAC is redirecting millions of dollars to defend a Kansas Senate seat and scaling back its investments in a GOP-held seat in North Carolina, sources familiar with the decision told CBS News.
The shifts are another sign of how the race for control of the upper chamber is changing in the final weeks before the midterms, with the GOP defending several traditionally red-leaning states. Republicans can lose up to three seats and still hold onto their Senate majority, but President Trump's party is facing an unfavorable political environment.
As of Friday, the Senate Leadership Fund had reserved $9.8 million in advertising in Kansas, according to AdImpact. The group spent $17.5 million in 2020, when Marshall first won the seat.
The Senate Leadership Fund has spent more than $30 million on the North Carolina Senate race this year, according to FEC filings. The group has paused future ad spending in the state, sources said.
Semafor was first to report on the shift from North Carolina to Kansas.
In deep-red Kansas, incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is aiming to prevent pastor Adam Hamilton from becoming the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate since 1932. One recent poll indicated the race is a statistical tie, as Hamilton aims to capitalize on discontent over energy prices and the Iran war.
The money will likely be used to flood Kansas' airwaves with ads taking aim at Hamilton. In an ad released Thursday, Marshall's campaign accused Hamilton of covering up child abuse in the large church where he serves as senior pastor. Hamilton denied the charge in a response ad, saying the church investigated allegations against a youth retreat volunteer more than 20 years ago, reported him to police and banned him from church programs — claims a Kansas City Star investigation of court records substantiated.
Hamilton called the ad "exactly the kind of dirty politics … that everybody hates."
Hamilton spokesperson Tyson Brody told CBS News in a statement: "Washington is panicking over desperate failing politician Roger Marshall. They're sending in millions to try to distract from Marshall's record of supporting the war in Iran, gutting healthcare, and raising prices on everything from gas to groceries."
CBS News has reached out to Marshall's campaign for comment.
Meanwhile, polling in the North Carolina Senate contest has shown former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper with an edge over GOP nominee Michael Whatley, a Trump ally who previously chaired the Republican National Committee.
Asked by reporters if he was worried about Whatley's chances, Mr. Trump said: "I am."
"I hope he wins," said Mr. Trump, who held a rally for Whatley in North Carolina last month. "He's a great man, he was a great leader for the whole Republican Party when I won, and he'd be a great senator."
Cooper's campaign manager, Jeff Allen, told CBS News that North Carolina is still a "50-50 state," noting that a Democrat hasn't won a Senate or presidential race there in almost 20 years.
"We're building a campaign to earn every vote and make sure North Carolinians know that Roy Cooper will fight for them, while Michael Whatley will continue to enrich himself at their expense," Allen said in a statement.
In a statement, Whatley campaign spokesman DJ Griffin said: "Cooper recently said about federal elections in North Carolina, 'Democrats are often ahead until they are not.' Undecided Voters who break late decide the election in North Carolina and the majority of those Late-Breakers typically go Republican. We feel confident we have the resources to highlight Career Politician Roy Cooper's 40 Years of Failures and win in November."
In a closed-door meeting last month, GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told lawmakers the party still has a path to holding its majority. He said the group plans to focus on defending a handful of seats — including in Maine and Texas — and on taking Democratic-held seats in New Hampshire and Michigan.
"We're in the fight for our lives with a record number of toss-up races," Scott said.
