Schumer dumping $1M in surprisingly competitive Maryland Senate race

• The Democratic PAC WinSenate has already spent some ad money on the race, but the new bookings for the first two weeks of October are a significant jump, according to AdImpact data.
• "[I]f Hogan's Washington GOP friends want to go up on TV to conceal the truth, we're here to remind voters that Hogan is an-anti abortion, Trump-endorsed extreme Republican who is utterly wrong for the people of Maryland," Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Sarah Guggenheimer told Axios in a statement.

Zoom in: The group is set to spend roughly $570,000 on broadcast and digital ads this week and another $550,000 next week to bolster Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks.

• It comes after a new SuperPAC backing Hogan booked $18.3 million worth of ads starting last week into October, as Axios reported.

• Democrats had already been ramping up ad spending on the race coming out of the summer.
• Despite Democrats' clear fundraising advantage, they have faced a challenging election map this cycle. They have to defend eight competitive seats — including in the Trump-supporting states of Ohio and Montana.

Zoom out: Public polling continues to show Alsobrooks with a steady lead over Hogan in Maryland.

• FiveThirtyEight polling averages have the Democratic candidate up 48% to 41%, for example.
• Republicans in recent weeks have touted their own polling, behind closed doors, that they say indicates a closer race.