Reuters: Outside allies help Republican U.S. Senate candidates close gap with Democrats

Reuters: Outside allies help Republican U.S. Senate candidates close gap with Democrats

"Outside groups are making up the difference," said Aaron Scherb, a lobbyist on campaign finance and election issues for Common Cause, a watchdog group that advocates for increasing transparency in campaign finance.

WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Republicans in the tightest U.S. Senate races are getting help from deep-pocketed allies who are unleashing a late advertising blitz, potentially neutralizing their Democratic rivals’ fundraising advantage heading into the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Led by a fundraising group tied to Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, dozens of conservative organizations reported spending more than $104 million in September to help Republican candidates in seven Senate races widely seen as competitive, a Reuters analysis of federal disclosures found.

Democrats’ allies in the same races – spread across Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – have reported spending about $23 million last month, less than a quarter of the sum reported by Republican allies.

Democratic campaigns have reported having bigger bank accounts in six of the seven states, ranging from New Hampshire where U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan had about $7 million more on hand than Republican challenger Don Bolduc in late August, to Arizona where U.S. Senator Mark Kelly had a $23 million advantage over Republican Blake Masters in mid-July. In Wisconsin, Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson had a $1 million advantage over Democrat Mandela Barnes in mid-July. …

“Outside groups are making up the difference,” said Aaron Scherb, a lobbyist on campaign finance and election issues for Common Cause, a watchdog group that advocates for increasing transparency in campaign finance.