Scoop: McConnell-linked Super PAC closes fundraising gap with Dems

By the numbers: SLF raised $41 million last quarter — about double what it raised in the same period during the 2022 midterm cycle.

Yes, but: It is still short of the $44 million Democrats' Senate Majority PAC brought in, though the margin is much smaller than in the first quarter.

• In Q1, the Democratic Senate-focused PAC raised roughly $15 million more than the Republican PAC. That gap is just $3 million for the second quarter, Axios has learned.
• SLF currently has $117 million in cash-on-hand, compared to SMP's $124 million.

What they're saying: McConnell (R-Ky), the Senate minority leader, first announced the record fundraising numbers during the GOP lunch last Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the session.

• "This record fundraising quarter shows that donors are enthusiastic about our high-quality Senate candidates and it puts us in a strong position to capitalize on the spreading chaos on the Democratic side," Senate Leadership Fund President and CEO Steven Law told Axios in a statement.

Zoom in: SLF has booked tens of millions of dollars worth of ad space in key Senate races.

• They're spending more than $57 million in the Ohio Senate race, $25 million in the Montana race and $23 million in the Pennsylvania race, according to the PAC.
• Those states are home to vulnerable Democratic incumbents Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Jon Tester (Mont.) and Bob Casey (Pa.)