A top Republican spending group pulled out of North Carolina on Friday and shifted resources to Kansas as the party fights to defend Senate seats in traditionally Republican states.
Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the GOP super PAC tied to Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), has halted future spending in North Carolina and placed a seven-figure ad buy to support Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Semafor first reported. Republican-aligned Americans for Prosperity Action also left North Carolina out of its latest $22 million spending spree.
The retreat comes as Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee and former Republican National Committee chairman, trails former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. Earlier this week, The Daily Wire reported that Whatley was behind by nearly nine points in recent polling.
A similar story plays out in Georgia, where incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff holds an eight-point polling lead over Trump-endorsed Rep. Mike Collins, prompting conservative political consultants to sound the alarm.
“It’s pretty dire circumstances in both those states,” political consultant Ryan Girdusky told The Daily Wire, pointing to the Iran conflict and inflation. “And it’s not likely that the Republicans will manage to carry either one of them in November, and that’s bad for the GOP, but that’s just the facts on the ground.”
DJ Griffin, a Whatley spokesman, said the campaign hopes undecided voters break for them.
“We feel confident we have the resources to highlight Career Politician Roy Cooper’s 40 Years of Failures and win in November,” he said. Trump endorsed Whatley after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced he would not run for another term.
The shift frees up money to defend Marshall, who faces Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor. SLF is set to begin airing ads in Kansas on Saturday and has booked $8.2 million in future reservations, according to AdImpact, which tracks political advertising.
A separate Marshall ad, which the National Republican Senatorial Committee posted on X, accuses the liberal megachurch pastor of failing to report a church volunteer accused of molesting teenage boys and letting him return as a camp counselor. Hamilton’s campaign called the spot a “desperate and shameful attack from a losing politician,” according to the New York Post.
The spending comes as Marshall faces a tightening re-election race. Last week, he raised eyebrows with an X post calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to coordinate with local authorities during operations in Kansas.
“When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement. Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe,” Marshall said. “I’m closely following what’s happening in SW Kansas and have been in direct contact with Secretary Mullin and local law enforcement as ICE executes warrants in order to keep Kansans safe.”
Marshall’s Republican primary opponent, Arch Naramore, who won more than 20% of the vote, has also endorsed Hamilton.
With 32 days to go until Election Day, Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority and face competitive races beyond North Carolina. Recent polls listed by RealClearPolitics show Democratic candidates leading in Ohio, Texas, Iowa, and Maine, while Alaska remains close. Republicans are also contesting Democratic-held seats in Michigan, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.
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