Republicans shift Senate resources as Georgia and North Carolina races tighten

Republicans are shifting Senate campaign resources away from ambitious efforts in Georgia and North Carolina as the party focuses more heavily on defending seats elsewhere before the midterm elections. The party has not abandoned either Southern battleground, but Republican campaign officials are directing greater attention to Texas and Ohio. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to regain the Senate majority.

In Georgia, Republican challenger Mike Collins is running against Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. Ossoff has spent $57 million on advertising and had another $13 million reserved, according to AdImpact. Outside groups supporting Collins had spent more than $52 million, but his campaign had no advertising time immediately reserved.

Some Georgia Republicans have expressed pessimism about Collins’s prospects. Local party chair Tim Waters said Collins had struggled to broaden his support beyond the Republican base and faced the difficulty of challenging an incumbent during a difficult midterm environment. North Carolina Republican candidate Michael Whatley is contesting the seat of retiring Senator Thom Tillis against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

Tillis said Republicans needed to direct spending towards candidates who were ahead or within striking distance. A Republican strategist cited energy prices and economic concerns as factors affecting turnout. In Texas, the Senate Leadership Fund committed more than $100 million to advertising supporting Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton against Democratic state Representative James Talarico.

The group had not included Texas in its initial midterm budget.