President Donald Trump has given the go-ahead to funnel tens of millions of dollars from his personal super PAC into vulnerable Republican House and Senate races this fall, according to people familiar with the plans, as top campaign advisers privately acknowledge the party's odds of holding both chambers in November are dimming.
Trump's political team has floated an opening tranche of roughly $30 million, though the final figure has not been locked in, the people said. The infusion from the MAGA Inc. super PAC, which entered the year with nearly $300 million in cash on hand, would mark the first major cash commitment of the midterm cycle and is described as the opening move in a stretch-run effort with November three months away.
Money is expected to flow toward competitive seats in Michigan, Ohio and North Carolina, along with Republican-held districts in traditionally blue territory, including Rep. Mike Lawler's Hudson Valley seat in New York, a Maine Senate race and House battlegrounds in California.
Advisers hedge on their own odds
The shift comes as Republican strategists grow more openly anxious about the political environment, pointing to voter frustration over high gas prices and the unpopularity of the recent conflict with Iran as drags on turnout among the swing and independent voters the party needs to hold its majorities.
There is a path where we keep the House and the Senate. I'm not in a place today where I'm prepared to say we're cautiously optimistic.
Trump campaign adviser
Trump himself has struck a more detached tone in recent weeks. "I don't have to be supporting all the people," he told Punchbowl News in an interview, adding: "I said to somebody, 'I won. I'm not campaigning.'" White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales pushed back on any suggestion Trump was disengaged, calling him "the unequivocal leader of the Republican party who is committed to maintaining Republicans' majority in Congress."
Congressional Republicans have also spent recent weeks fighting among themselves, including over a White House-backed elections bill that would tighten federal voter ID rules; the measure never reached the Senate floor before the August recess.
What's next
Advisers say the cash rollout is likely in the coming weeks, timed to give vulnerable incumbents a head start on advertising before the fall sprint. With Republicans holding narrow majorities in both chambers, strategists in both parties expect control of Congress to hinge on a small number of races in the states now targeted for spending.
