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Outside Groups Spend Over $330M to Oppose Three Democratic Senate Candidates
Confirmed
In Short: Outside groups have spent more than $330 million to oppose Democratic Senate candidates in key races.
Outside groups have ramped up their spending to oppose three Democratic Senate candidates, with more than $330 million spent so far, according to an analysis by OpenSecrets.
In key U.S. Senate races, candidates are soliciting donations from outside their home states, and their out-of-state messaging differs from their local campaigns.
The League of Conservation Voters and NRDC Action Fund are using paid canvassing efforts to boost Democratic candidates Kathy Castor in Florida, Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey, and Paige Cognetti in Pennsylvania.
Independent PAC began airing TV ads in support of Seth Bodnar, an independent candidate for Senate in Montana, signaling increased activity from outside groups.
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in Texas’s open Senate seat, raised a record $64 million in the third quarter, surpassing South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison’s 2020 haul.
In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has accused Republican Mike Rogers of buying two yachts after leaving Congress, attempting to portray Rogers as out of touch with voters.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Hamilton are placing a coordinated ad buy starting on Tuesday, according to Medium Buying.
President Donald Trump defended a $4 million ad campaign by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy against Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, despite the ad's controversial backstory.
Reports for the second quarter of 2026 were due July 15, with Ohio Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Sherrod Brown raising more than twice as much as incumbent Republican Jon Husted.
In a heated incident at the Canfield Fair, a volunteer was knocked to the ground and arrested with multiple weapons, according to Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman Chris Anderson.
Democratic Congressional Candidate Lakesha Womack was served a felony warrant outside a campaign stop in Polk County, as shown in body camera footage obtained by Channel 9.
The National Rifle Association endorsed Alme, reporting in-kind spending on his behalf, while Brandon, former president of FreedomWorks, aims to reverse the trend.
Background
Outside groups have spent more than $330 million to oppose three Democratic Senate candidates.
In a heated debate, Michigan Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers clashed over El-Sayed's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Rogers' stance on defunding the police.
Democratic Senate or Senators for Democracy was an electoral alliance in Spain formed by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Democratic Left (ID) and Liberal Alliance (AL) to contest the 1977 Spanish Senate election in a number of constituencies, including Badajoz, Burgos, Granada, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia and Oviedo. In the latter, the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) also participated.
What's confirmed
- The League of Conservation Voters’ program, meanwhile, is aiming to boost Florida Rep. Kathy Castor, whose 14th District was redrawn this spring to favor Republicans, as well as Democratic candidates Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey’s 7th and Paige Cognetti in Pennsylvania’s 8th.
- Former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, left, and U.S. Senator Jon Husted, right. (Photos from WEWS) Ohio Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Sherrod Brown raised more than twice as much as incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jon Husted from April to June, according to campaign finance filings from both campaigns.
What's still developing
- Things have been much quieter so far this election cycle – but with Election Day just six weeks away, more independent organizations are starting to get involved. (Watch the video for more on some of the groups working to get their messages out about candidates.) Last week, a group called Independent PAC began airing TV ads in support of Seth Bodnar, running for Senate as an independent.
- Follow the money to state legislators in all 50 states.
- Five of the candidates are calling for Medicare for All in some form.
- With less than three weeks until the Nov. 3 general election, outside spending in federal races has grown rapidly, now topping $2.4 billion, according to an OpenSecrets analysis of Federal Election Commission data.
- Jon Ossoff and Iowa Democratic nominee Josh Turek, more than 80% of their itemized individual contributions have come from out of state.
- Search donors to governors and discover which industries and special interest groups are supporting state leaders.
- With less than three weeks until the Nov. 3 general election, total outside spending – money spent independently of campaigns to support or oppose candidates – in federal races has grown rapidly and now tops $2.4 billion, according to an OpenSecrets analysis of Federal Election Commission data for 928 federal candidates through Oct. 13.
- Outside groups called super PACs can spend an unlimited amount of money to push their point of view through “independent expenditures,” as long as they do not coordinate with the candidate’s campaign, the result of a Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United.
- Both Democratic candidates for insurance commissioner have promised not to take campaign donations from the industry that one of them will soon be regulating.
- El-Sayed and Rogers have sparred with one another over their personal wealth and real estate holdings outside of Michigan.
- Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump was asked if he has changed his mind about defending the minutelong ad, now that he knows the backstory about Acton’s late stepfather, whom Acton has said sexually abused her as a child.
- It was July 2004 and El-Sayed was 19, standing at the kitchen sink of his parents’ house outside Detroit while the Democratic National Convention in Boston was playing on the television.
Sources
- KTVHlink
- Ohiocapitaljournallink
- Opensecretslink
- Warpbeatlink
- Rollcalllink
- Wsoctvlink
- Newhampshirebulletinlink
- Washingtonexaminerlink
- NPRlink
- Newsweeklink
- Opensecretslink
- Calmatterslink
- MS NOWlink
- Fox19link
- WarpBeat — background on Michigan Senate Candidates Clash Over Muslim Brotherhood and Gun Control link
- Wikipedia — background on Democratic Senate link