Sep 19, 2024 - Politics & Policy
Schumer floods Senate battleground states with cash
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has one last power play to try to keep his majority: The hundreds of millions of dollars he has spent the last two years raising.
Why it matters: Schumer's super PAC will spend over $159 million in Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania through election day, blanketing the airwaves in those states to help his most vulnerable members.
- Senate Majority PAC and its affiliates have reserved nearly $255 million in ads across eight of the most competitive states between the start of September and Election Day.
- Schumer is spending that money to protect incumbents and seats that are being vacated by Democratic lawmakers, like Arizona and Maryland.
The big picture: Follow the money, and you will know which races concern Schumer the most. Over 62% of his spending on ad reservations are in just Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
- Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) was trailing his Republican challenger in the latest public polling of that race, while Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) have slight leads.
- An overwhelming majority of money is being spent in the metro areas of those states. Schumer is spending $16.7 million in the Philadelphia market, $18.3 million in Cleveland and $13 million in Missoula.
- A source familiar with the reservations said most were placed back in March, which means Schumer got cheaper rates rather than placing reservations late in the cycle.
