Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. is preparing to redirect hundreds of millions of dollars in the final three weeks before November’s elections, scaling back support in difficult House races while concentrating resources on key Senate contests.
The organisation is expected to coordinate its spending with other leading Republican super PACs, withdrawing funding from districts where its candidates are considered less likely to win and strengthening campaigns viewed as more competitive.
Ohio, Alaska and Iowa have emerged as particular priorities for Republican strategists seeking to retain control of the Senate, according to three Republican officials familiar with MAGA Inc.’s plans.
One official said MAGA Inc. and a leading House Republican super PAC would pull funding from Michigan’s 8th District by the middle of this week, reflecting the strength of Democratic Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet against Republican challenger Tom Smith.
Similar decisions are expected in other House races that have moved away from Republicans. The official described the strategy as “re-allocating, not cutting” planned spending overall.
Republican groups are still contesting every Senate battleground, including Texas, where MAGA Inc. is expected to add at least 5 million dollars in the coming days. The state has become a major concern for Republicans because of the difficulties facing Ken Paxton.
A senior Republican official said MAGA Inc. would “unload the tank” to help candidates, but stressed that responsibility for securing victory ultimately rested with the campaigns themselves.
“Over the next week to 10 days you will see a lot of moves — a lot of coordinated moves — that are around trimming the map for the home stretch,” the official said. “It’ll be all over the place. It’ll just just be moving on from districts that we don’t think it’s the right time for, and piling in further on ones we think it is the right time for.”
Ohio becomes a central Senate battleground
Republicans have privately expressed concern about Ohio Senator Jon Husted for months. Mr Husted, the former lieutenant governor appointed to serve out Vice-President JD Vance’s Senate term, has trailed former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown in public and private polling, although one recent poll last week gave him a narrow lead.
The Senate Leadership Fund has already spent close to 100 million dollars in Ohio, making it one of the country’s most expensive Senate contests. Ohio Republican chairman Alex Triantafilou said the state wanted the maximum possible investment.
“We want a maximum spend,” he said. “We want as much attention. I mean, the president’s coming, the vice president. Look, I’m the chair of the Republican Party — I want full resources in this state. We welcome it very much.”
Democrats are also increasing their investment in the states Republicans now see as crucial. Senate Majority PAC plans to spend 2.5 million dollars on television advertising in Iowa and 7 million dollars in Ohio, while continuing digital campaigns in both states.
Winning two of Ohio, Alaska and Iowa would make it difficult for Democrats to capture the Senate, one senior Republican official said. A Republican sweep of all three would put a Democratic takeover decisively out of reach, although that outcome would also require victories in Texas and other closely fought races, as well as a possible gain in Michigan or another Democratic-held state.
Republicans reassess House and Senate spending
The planned changes will leave senior House Republican groups to decide whether to redirect their own funds into races previously supported by MAGA Inc. They are defending a series of districts that Donald Trump won by more than 10 points in 2024 but which are now considered vulnerable, including seats in the Midwest, North Carolina, Nevada and Kentucky.
Republican Senate groups have already stopped spending in North Carolina and reduced some investment in Georgia, although further spending is still planned there. The Senate Leadership Fund is expected to continue campaigning across the map, including in Texas, where its total investment could approach 200 million dollars.
The group also plans to spend in Kansas to defend Republican Senator Roger Marshall against Democrat Adam Hamilton, a race that has alarmed senior Republicans, and is expected to maintain its financial support for the Michigan Senate contest, viewed by Republicans as their leading opportunity to gain a seat.
MAGA Inc. and its affiliates have spent just over 200 million dollars this election cycle, including future advertising reservations, leaving more than 200 million dollars of a war chest exceeding 400 million dollars, according to the material reviewed by Republican officials.
The senior official defended the timing of the spending, arguing that close to 100 million dollars deployed last month had prevented further losses as the political environment worsened.
“The money’s working,” the official said. “The money stopped everybody from getting killed in September when the environment rapidly deteriorated further. The money held the line.”
Some Republican candidates, however, privately blame Trump’s poor approval rating and his handling of the war with Iran, tariffs and high fuel prices for the backlash among voters.
Concerns had become so widespread that Trump officials considered intervening to support Senator Ashley Moody in Florida, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter. More recent internal polling has eased those fears, and plans for a presidential visit remain in place, principally to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds and vulnerable House candidates.
