A trio of GOP candidates who had been quiet on the airwaves made TV buys on Monday, with just five weeks to go until Election Day.
Pennsylvania GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano made his first TV buy of the governor’s race, spending $415,000 on a week of ads starting today, per AdImpact (WGAL-8 reports the buy is $1 million in total). His first spot discusses his leadership in the military.
In New Hampshire, retired Brigadier Gen. Don Bolduc made his first ad buy of the Senate race, spending $130,000 on the airwaves, and teaming up with the National Republican Senatorial Committee on a $137,000 buy, per AdImpact. His first spot takes a similar tack, a focus on his military service.
And in Arizona, Republican Blake Masters placed a $625,000, his first sizable spending on ads in a month. His new spot is focused on the economy.
All three candidates have been vastly outspent on the airwaves by their Democratic opponents, so it remains to be seen whether this is too little, too late.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Arizona and Ohio Senate: CNBC reports that billionaire Peter Thiel told attendees at a recent fundraiser for Masters that he believes Republican J.D. Vance is in a good position to win his Senate race, so his allies should focus on helping Masters.
Florida Senate: A new Mason-Dixon live-caller poll of likely voters finds Republican Sen. Marco Rubio leading Democratic Rep. Val Demings 47%-41% with 10% undecided.
North Carolina Senate: A new WRAL News poll found a hotly contested Senate race, with 43% of likely voters backing GOP Rep. Ted Budd and 42% supporting Democrat Cheri Beasley, while 13% are undecided. Politico reports that some Democratic leaders want the party to spend more to help Beasley in a race they believe they can win.
Nevada Senate: Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto announced that she raised $15 million in the third fundraising quarter. The New York Times reports from Nevada that Democrats are at risk of losing her race, as well as other marquee contests for governor and the House, as their “vulnerabilities in Nevada reflect Democrats’ challenges nationwide, most acutely in the West.”
Pennsylvania Senate: Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is launching a “Republicans for Fetterman” effort, which will include TV and digital ads, NBC10’s Lauren Mayk reports. Republican Mehmet Oz announced Tuesday morning that he raised $17.2 million in the third fundraising quarter, which includes a $7 million loan from Oz himself.
Utah Senate: Independent Evan McMullin announced a $2.5 million haul in the third quarter.
Arizona Governor: Republican nominee Kari Lake will campaign Wednesday with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Minnesota Governor: CNN reports that Republican gubernatorial nominee Scott Jenson shared a repeatedly disproven claim that schools are putting out litter boxes for children “because they identify as a furry.”
Oregon Governor: All three gubernatorial hopefuls — Democrat Tina Kotek, Republican Christine Drazan and Independent Betsy Johnson — will face off in a debate tonight on KATU.
Pennsylvania-07: The DCCC is up with a new ad reminiscent of the 2012 attacks on GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, where the narrator attacks Republican Lisa Scheller and accuses her of shutting down a factory in Lansford, leading to layoffs.
