GOP super PAC targets House districts with new $15M ad buys

A top Republican super PAC has reserved another $15 million in television advertising time as it looks to protect GOP-held House districts and preserve the party’s hold on the House majority.

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), the outside group supported by House GOP leadership, is investing in three new districts while boosting spending in seven additional districts as well as in the Minneapolis media market, which reaches four competitive House districts.

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The group has booked $2 million in California’s 39th Congressional District, where former GOP state Assemblywoman Young Kim will face off against Democratic veteran and lottery winner Gil Cisneros in a battle to replace retiring Rep. Ed Royce (R). CLF is also spending $2 million to protect Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) in his bid against Democrat and former State Department official Tom Malinowski, as well as $1 million to help Rep. John Faso (R-N.Y.), who will learn who his Democratic opponent is later this month.

All three races are among the most competitive GOP-held seats in the nation, where Democrats are mounting tough campaigns to flip the districts.

Two-thirds of the new spending ($10 million) will be devoted to protecting Republicans in districts where CLF has already booked advertisers: Reps. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.), Mike Bost (Ill.), Andy Barr (Ky.), Bruce Poliquin (Maine), Erik Paulsen (Minn.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), as well as Washington state Rep. Dino Rossi, who is the leading Republican in the race to replace the retiring Rep. Dave Reichert.

“Thanks to Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s leadership in Congress, CLF continues to break fundraising records, allowing us to be more aggressive in adding new races and increasing our previous buys,” Corry Bliss, the executive director of CLF, said in a statement.

“These efforts ensure that CLF will have the resources needed to prevent Republican members of Congress from being outspent this fall.”

Bliss went on to note that CLF has $10 million reserved in advertising in the state of California, the key battleground which just held its primaries last week.

In total, CLF has booked $60 million in advertising for 2018’s midterms. While candidates receive preferred advertising rates, super PACs and other outside groups have to pay more for advertising. So groups tend to try to lock up advertising earlier before rates rise closer to Election Day.

Democratic groups are similarly booking television spots in key races. In March, the Democratic House Majority PAC announced its first round of buys, $43 million in spending in 33 media markets.