GOP fears exposed as Trump money groups 'hemorrhage cash'

The Republican strategists now have to face a costly closing phase before the November midterms since President Donald Trump's political network is spending money on competitive races and at the same time party officials are attempting to safeguard their increasingly vulnerable candidates for the House and Senate.

CNN said on Monday that members of the Trump team have admitted privately that the party is in a tough situation, one of them stating, “It’s obviously going to be f—— rough.” The president’s staff are preparing an intensive campaign timetable for October featuring Trump and Vice President JD Vance, with appearances scheduled for battleground states and areas that are Republican-leaning since the advisers think they can boost voter turnout.

According to CNN, Republican organizations, such as Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC, "have begun hemorrhaging cash across the country" as they redirect their resources towards competitive races. The Senate Leadership Fund has raised its spending in Texas to $100 million in order to back the Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

The figures from Texas show the extent of the money that Republicans are spending to defend territory which the party has held for decades. According to a report by Reuters on Sunday, GOP groups and major donors have started to spend in at least 39 House races in which they had not previously allocated funds this cycle. AdImpact data quoted by Reuters shows that Republican groups have secured at least $888 million for advertising until Election Day, whereas the Democrats have secured at least $666 million.

A Republican operative told CNN that the spending was having a "some" effect on the party's position, but doubted whether money on its own could cope with the present political environment. When asked what the Republicans could have done differently, the operative responded by saying: “Go back in time and never start the war with Iran.”

Several Republican candidates are at the same time distancing themselves from Trump on questions of the economy, immigration and the Iran war. Recently, Michigan's Senate candidate Mike Rogers stated in a campaign advertisement that "Groceries cost too much. We have to bring prices down," and also advocated for the Iran war to "end quickly."

The Trump campaign is relying on his capacity to get Republican voters out to the polls in order to overcome those problems. As one Republican campaign official told CNN, “It’s all a turnout game,” adding that the Republican committees and Trump's political team have been exchanging voter data in order to identify the supporters they need to get to the polls.

The strategy also poses a problem for the Republicans since Trump's advisers have told CNN that although the president is able to inspire his supporters, his presence can at the same time excite Democratic voters.

“The cake is already baked. There’s no getting away from Trump for these guys,” one GOP official said. “So we have to lean into it.”