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Outside Groups Spend $330M to Oppose Democratic Senate Candidates
· Confirmed
In Short: Outside groups are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to oppose Democratic Senate candidates, according to OpenSecrets.
The Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that television ads paid for by the U.S. government violate federal laws on government spending and propaganda.
In Ohio, Democratic candidate Amy Acton is facing an unattributed online ad in which her estranged mother calls her a liar and insinuates she has mental health issues. Acton is in a tight race with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has received over $120 million in spending on his behalf.
In Georgia, the money spigot is sputtering in the Senate race as some of the biggest outside spenders are pulling back and turning their attention to more competitive races in redder territory.
Republican strategist Steve Rogers argued that his opponent, El-Sayed, could underperform among key demographics that traditionally support Democratic candidates, presenting opportunities for Republicans.
Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist, called the ad featuring Acton's estranged mother the “scummiest” thing he had ever seen in politics.
Prominent Republicans have criticized Ramaswamy and his campaign over the attack ad featuring Acton's estranged mother.
J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group, is spending $3 million on ads targeting Republican Rep. Mike Collins, who is running for US Senate in Georgia against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
In New Hampshire, both candidates in the race for the U.S. House seat raised the majority of their funds from out-of-state donors.
Private polls show Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures and State Rep. Rhett Marques in a dead heat, even as President Donald Trump would have won the newly redrawn district by 14 points in 2024.
While Democrats had a lead in ad spending earlier in the general election campaign, outside groups supporting both candidates have ramped up spending in the final weeks before the election.
What this adds
The spending by outside groups is part of a larger trend of political spending aimed at shaping policy and influencing elections across the country.
Background
Christian actor Jordan Walker Ross, best known for his role as Little James in the hit series 'The Chosen,' has endorsed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico in Texas.
What's confirmed
- The Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that television ads paid for by the U.S. government violate federal laws on government spending and propaganda.
- In Ohio, Democratic candidate Amy Acton is facing an unattributed online ad in which her estranged mother calls her a liar and insinuates she has mental health issues. Acton is in a tight race with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has received over $120 million in spending on his behalf.
- In Georgia, the money spigot is sputtering in the Senate race as some of the biggest outside spenders are pulling back and turning their attention to more competitive races in redder territory.
- Republican strategist Steve Rogers argued that his opponent, El-Sayed, could underperform among key demographics that traditionally support Democratic candidates, presenting opportunities for Republicans.
- Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist, called the ad featuring Acton's estranged mother the “scummiest” thing he had ever seen in politics.
- Prominent Republicans have criticized Ramaswamy and his campaign over the attack ad featuring Acton's estranged mother.
- J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group, is spending $3 million on ads targeting Republican Rep. Mike Collins, who is running for US Senate in Georgia against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
- In New Hampshire, both candidates in the race for the U.S. House seat raised the majority of their funds from out-of-state donors.
- Private polls show Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures and State Rep. Rhett Marques in a dead heat, even as President Donald Trump would have won the newly redrawn district by 14 points in 2024.
- While Democrats had a lead in ad spending earlier in the general election campaign, outside groups supporting both candidates have ramped up spending in the final weeks before the election.
What's still developing
- Follow the money to state legislators in all 50 states.
- Learn about the hundreds of millions of dollars raised and spent by presidential candidates.
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- “We obviously can’t put ads in the papers and do all those different things. We’re not going to do that,” Miller told WyoFile on Wednesday, referring to a state statute that prohibits a political party from backing one of its candidates over another before the primary.
- WASHINGTON (OSV News) — A key national pro-life group said it plans to spend $160 million in the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election cycles to elect its preferred candidates.
- “We defunded big abortion.” Without naming the organization, Johnson pointed to a report estimating that about 50 Planned Parenthood clinics closed in 2025 as the group lost its ability to bill Medicaid as a result.
- Jeffrey Donaldson, the former head of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), was sentenced on Thursday, October 15, after he was found guilty in June of non-recent child sexual abuse crimes.
- Hannity pressed Rogers about El-Sayed's past criticism of former President Barack Obama, whom El-Sayed described as "not the right choice" to advance a progressive agenda following Obama's 2012 re-election.