A GOP-backed super PAC is eyeing Virginia and Texas in its latest round of funds for advertisements aimed at securing Republican seats in Congress.
The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) has allocated $37 million to its advertisement funding for what it called an offense against the “Biden agenda.” This is the second round of ad reservations, the first taking place in April 2022.
This “offense” largely looks at the seats currently held by Democrats and CLF officials said that the super PAC will continue to make ad reservations through the fall. The House of Representatives is currently led by Democrats by a narrow margin and the General Election this November will determine whether Republicans will gain control once again.
The Congressional Leadership Fund boasts its endorsement by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and other House GOP leaders, with CLF President Dan Conston adding that he believes Republicans “are in a great position to win the House.”
Of this $37 million, $3 million is set aside for Texas — specifically in the 34th Congressional District. This is in addition to the several million allocated back in April for the San Antonio and El Paso areas.
Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District will also see ads, paid for with $1.25 million of the super PAC’s funding. This is extending funding from April, according to the super PAC.
A bulk of the funds will go toward television advertisements and a smaller portion will go toward streaming ads.
Texas 34th Congressional District
Rep. Mayra Flores was elected to Texas’s 34th Congressional District this year, with the Republican candidate narrowly beating her opponent, Democrat Dan Sanchez. She had won 51% of the votes while Sanchez garnered 43%.
Flores is currently filling an unexpired term that was left vacant following the resignation of her predecessor, Democrat Filemon Vela Jr. That seat is set to expire this year, with three candidates including Flores having qualified for the Nov. 8 election.
The other two candidates include Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat, and Chris Royal, an Independent. Gonzalez currently serves in Texas’s 15th District.
The $3 million in ad reservations is the second round of funding and in April, $5 million was spent in San Antonio and $540,000 in El Paso.
The money for San Antonio, however, was not allocated to the area of the 34th district. Instead, in April, $1.5 million went to the area of the 15th district — Gonzalez’s former stomping ground — and $3.5 million went toward the 28th district.
The 28th Congressional District is currently held by the incumbent Democrat Henry Cuellar and is being challenged by Republican Cassy Garcia.
Virginia 2nd Congressional District
An additional $1.25 million in ad funding will go to the area of Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District where incumbent Democrat Elaine G. Luria and Republican Jen A. Kiggans are facing off.
Luria has held the seat since 2018, which she won against former Congressman Scott Taylor. After losing, Taylor tried twice to win the seat back and while the races were close, he was unsuccessful. During the 2022 Republican Primary Election, however, Taylor did not run, allowing Kiggans to secure the nomination.
The latest round of ad reservations extends previous funding from April, when $2.3 million was spent for ad reservations in Norfolk.
The first round of funding in April targeted other southeast states, including:
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$6.1 million in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
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$1.4 million in Tampa, Florida
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$750,000 in Binghamton, Alabama
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$375,000 in Laredo, Texas
“There is incredible energy behind the fight to elect a new Republican Majority and it only continues to grow by the day,” said Conston in a news release. “Republicans are in a great position to win the House and we’re adding more firepower to the arsenal we need to make it a reality.”
