President Donald Trump’s political operation has unleashed nearly $277 million during the final stretch of the midterm campaign, pouring money into some of the country’s most competitive races as Republicans fight to maintain control of Congress.
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The extraordinary spending push has been led by Trump’s flagship super PAC, MAGA Inc., which has deployed the money since the beginning of September through direct expenditures and transfers to affiliated political organizations.
MAGA Inc. has now spent more than $300 million on the midterms overall, according to federal campaign-finance records reviewed by Reuters.
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The biggest investments have gone toward Republican Senate candidates in Texas, Michigan, and Ohio, three contests with major implications for the GOP’s 53-47 Senate majority.
Trump-aligned groups have spent more than $36 million helping Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, approximately $30.1 million supporting Mike Rogers in Michigan and more than $28 million backing Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio.
Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of the chamber, making those races especially important during the final days before the November 3 election.
Much of Trump’s spending has been routed through two additional super PACs, with MAGA Inc. transferring $200 million to No Going Back PAC and another $25 million to Safety & Affordability PAC.
Those organizations have used the money primarily for television advertising and other campaign communications designed to bolster Republican candidates and attack their Democratic opponents.
The scale of the operation is unusual even by the standards of modern political spending, with Republican strategist Corry Bliss telling the Associated Press that it represents more midterm spending by a president than he has previously seen.
Trump revealed Tuesday that his broader political network expects to spend more than $400 million by Election Day, including money for advertising, voter contact, rallies, telephone rallies, get-out-the-vote programs and election-monitoring efforts.
The president had previously suggested the final figure could reach $500 million, meaning substantial additional spending could still arrive during the campaign’s closing days.
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Despite the enormous expenditures already made, MAGA Inc. still had approximately $164 million available as of October 14, leaving Trump’s political operation with a sizable reserve for the final two weeks.
MAGA Inc. entered September with approximately $416 million in cash after assembling one of the largest political war chests in the country.
The group has raised roughly $450 million during the current election cycle, with big Republican donors providing much of the financial firepower.
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Businesswoman Diane Hendricks contributed another $5 million in September, bringing her total giving to MAGA Inc. this cycle to approximately $30 million, while casino executive Steve Wynn contributed $8 million and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman gave $5 million during the month.
The spending surge follows concerns among some Republicans that Trump’s political operation waited too long to unleash its massive cash reserves, a delay that has forced affiliated groups to purchase advertising at significantly higher rates during the crowded final weeks.
The Associated Press reported that some late television placements have cost several times what the organizations could have paid had they reserved advertising earlier in the election cycle.
Trump’s network nevertheless enters the final stretch with enormous financial resources as Republicans attempt to defend both chambers against Democratic challenges.
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The Senate battlefield has become particularly expensive, with Trump’s organizations concentrating tens of millions of dollars on races where Republican candidates are facing competitive Democratic challengers.
Republicans also face a narrow House battlefield, where only several dozen districts are considered genuinely competitive because decades of partisan redistricting and political polarization have reduced the number of swing seats.
Trump has complemented the financial offensive with an aggressive campaign schedule, personally traveling to battleground states as Republicans attempt to turn out voters who supported him in the 2024 presidential election.
The president’s massive investment also represents a sharp contrast with the traditional role of presidents during midterm elections, when White House political operations have generally played a more limited financial role than national party committees and congressional super PACs.
With Election Day less than two weeks away, the late-campaign surge of money gives Republican candidates a major infusion of advertising and turnout resources precisely when voters are beginning to make their final decisions.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
