If you happen to had over $200 million to spend, how would you spend it?
That is the query Steven Legislation, president of Senate Management Fund (SLF), is confronting this fall. It is his job to dole out the limitless donations his group receives to bolster Republican possibilities of taking again the Senate.
The SuperPAC, which is aligned with Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell, can not coordinate immediately with campaigns, however it'll spend closely on races (principally TV advertisements) primarily based on polling and the way a lot these campaigns have raised themselves.
There are 35 Senate seats in play in November, with probably the most aggressive races in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Legislation was this week's visitor on "The Takeout," hosted by CBS Information chief Washington correspondent Main Garrett. They spoke Tuesday afternoon.
Echoing McConnell's current feedback that it is extra possible that it is extra possible that management of the Home will flip to Republicans than is the case for the Senate this November, Legislation mentioned he, too, thinks Democrats will maintain their slender majority within the Senate amid current GOP headwinds just like the Supreme Court docket's abortion ruling and the FBI's executions of a search at Mar-a-Lago.
However Legislation is bullish on a number of races Republicans would want to win to eke out a 51-seat majority and says Republicans' greatest probability to flip Democrat-held seats are in Nevada and maybe surprisingly, New Hampshire.
"In Nevada, now we have an unusually sturdy challenger. And in New Hampshire, now we have a surprisingly weak incumbent," Legislation mentioned.
Adam Laxalt gained the Republican major in Nevada and polling exhibits incumbent New Hampshire Democrat Maggie Hassan in a good race. However Legislation's aspirations for a possible Granite State choose up might have dimmed barely after Tuesday's major. Chuck Morse, the mainstream GOP candidate Legislation indicated his group would assist in a basic election, narrowly misplaced to Donald Trump-allied candidate Donald Bolduc within the Republican major this week.
White Mountain PAC, an outfit created two weeks earlier than the New Hampshire major, poured almost $5 million into unfavorable advertisements in opposition to Bolduc. It isn't clear whether or not SLF or McConnell is behind White Mountain PAC in some capability. The PAC must disclose its donors subsequent week.
Legislation mentioned SLF is agnostic in terms of Republican primaries.
Pundits have additionally pointed to Georgia as a spot the place Republicans might unseat a Democrat - sitting Senator Raphael Warnock.
Challenger Herschel Walker, regardless of a collection of unflattering information tales over the summer time, has remained inside placing distance in current polling.
"I believe he is not a weak candidate," Legislation mentioned, citing Walker's work ethic on the marketing campaign path. "What he is doing is constructing the coverage chops and every thing else like that."
However SLF has additionally redirected some funds from no less than one candidate who has been struggling, pulling again $8 million in advert buys from the Arizona race in August, the place Trump-endorsed Blake Masters, a political neophyte, is difficult Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly. SLF doesn't plan to return on air in Arizona till October.
Legislation downplayed any friction between McConnell and Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott, of Florida, who've clashed over Republican midterm messaging.
"I do not know that it issues on the finish of the day," Legislation mentioned, acknowledging that Republican-on-Republican pressure "appears a little bit noisier" than previous election cycles.
Legislation mentioned he accepts the outcomes of the 2020 election, regardless of "some chicanery" on the margins that didn't influence the general consequence. He has religion that the 2022 election outcomes will replicate the need of voters.
Highlights:
- Pennsylvania Senate race: "Dr. (Mehmet) Oz has...actually stepped up. He is on the air. I believe his promoting is sweet. After which John Fetterman has confronted vital difficulties, a few of them well being associated. Additionally, as his report has come out, he is taken positions on crime which might be very, very exhausting to defend on this atmosphere as voters are more and more involved about that as a problem."
- Can GOP win majority with out Pennsylvania? "We might. It simply makes it tougher as a result of we have got to select up extra seats which might be presently held by Democrats. And there aren't plenty of them which might be aggressive."
- Larry Hogan and the Maryland Senate seat: "Steven Legislation: We additionally took a flyer on Governor Hogan in Maryland. We did not actually assume he would do it, however we thought we would catch him in a weak second. However that did not work"
Govt producer: Arden Farhi
Producers: Jamie Benson, Jacob Rosen, Sara Prepare dinner and Eleanor Watson
CBSN Manufacturing: Eric Soussanin
Present e mail: TakeoutPodcast@cbsnews.com
Twitter: @TakeoutPodcast
Instagram: @TakeoutPodcast
Fb: Fb.com/TakeoutPodcastExecutive producer: Arden Farhi
Producers: Jamie Benson, Jacob Rosen, Sara Prepare dinner and Eleanor Watson
CBSN Manufacturing: Eric Soussanin
Present e mail: TakeoutPodcast@cbsnews.com
Twitter: @TakeoutPodcast
Instagram: @TakeoutPodcast
Fb: Fb.com/TakeoutPodcast