Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
asserted
that → welcome → House
In today’s edition, Bridget Bowman and Ben Kamisar sift through a new batch of Senate fundraising reports.
asserted
Bowman → sift → reports
Plus, Kristen Welker wraps up another week of fiery debates.
asserted
Welker → wrap → debates
Democratic Senate candidates swamp GOP rivals in fundraising
By Bridget Bowman and Ben Kamisar
Democratic candidates across more than a dozen competitive Senate races raised a combined $253 million from July through September, more than four times the $56 million raised by GOP candidates in those races, according to new fundraising reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
uncertain
candidates → swamp → Commission
During the third quarter, Democratic candidates in these contests spent a combined $300 million, while Republicans spent nearly $84 million.
asserted
Republicans → spend → million
Heading into the final month of the election, Democratic candidates had $87 million on hand compared to $56 million for the Republicans.
asserted
candidates → head → Republicans
Republicans were outraised by their Democratic or independent opponents in all but one of the 15 races the NBC News Decision Desk rates as competitive, with Minnesota as the only exception.
asserted
Desk → outraise → exception
(Megan Brand has more today on why Republicans think former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya could have an opening there against Democratic Lt. Gov. Penny Flanagan.)
uncertain
Tafoya → have → Flanagan
Some of the widest gaps came in states where Democrats had long established themselves as prolific fundraisers.
asserted
Democrats → come → fundraisers
In the Texas Senate race, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico raised $60.2 million to state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s $10.2 million.
asserted
Talarico → raise → Paxton
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff raised $33.1 million while GOP Rep. Mike Collins pulled in $2.8 million.
asserted
Collins → raise → million
And in Ohio, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown raised $23.1 million compared to $4.8 million for Republican Sen. John Husted.
asserted
Brown → raise → Husted
Democratic candidates’ massive fundraising advantage in some of these states, particularly those that Republicans have won comfortably in recent elections, underscores how the battle for the Senate majority has grown more competitive in the final midterm stretch.
asserted
battle → win → stretch
It’s also a major reason why Republican outside groups have rushed in to help make up the difference, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the airwaves.
asserted
groups → ’ → airwaves
Most notably, tech billionaire Elon Musk gave another quarter-billion dollars to GOP groups in recent months.
asserted
Musk → give → months
More than half of that money, $158 million, went to the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Senate GOP leadership.
asserted
half → go → leadership
SLF transferred that same amount to Texas PAC, which has boosted Paxton in Musk’s home state.
asserted
which → transfer → state
There are pros and cons of money going directly to candidates’ campaigns versus the outside groups supporting them.
asserted
money → be → them
Donors are able to give larger amounts to outside groups, which aren’t subject to contribution limits.
asserted
which → give → limits
But candidates are able to get better rates for TV ads and inherently have greater control over how money is spent when it’s in their own accounts.
asserted
it → get → accounts
Tensions boil over as the midterms enter crunch time
Analysis by Kristen Welker
Less than three weeks before Election Day, tensions are boiling over in the heated battle for control of Washington.
asserted
tensions → boil → Washington
Just look at what we’ve seen from candidates on the campaign trail this week.
asserted
we → look → trail
Maine Democrat Troy Jackson told Republican Sen. Susan Collins to “shut up” after she claimed a protester at their showdown yesterday was a supporter of his.
asserted
protester → tell → his
Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan called reports about turmoil in Democrat Mary Peltola’s office indicative of a “character flaw.”
asserted
Sullivan → call → flaw
And in Georgia’s Senate race, Democratic Sen. John Ossoff asked Republican Rep. Mike Collins if he considers himself a “white nationalist,” while Collins blasted Ossoff over a top Democratic donor appearing in the Epstein files.
asserted
Collins → ask → files
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are barnstorming the county to rally Republicans and leaning on similar frustrations to motivate Republicans.
asserted
Trump → barnstorm → Republicans
Both have reserved some of their harshest criticism for Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, whom Vance called a “little weasel” and Trump has called a “jihadist.”
asserted
Trump → reserve → whom
It all underscores a key dynamic shaping the closing weeks of the midterms: Trump’s sagging approval rating and voters’ frustration with his handling of the economy is forcing the GOP onto their back heels, giving Democrats the chance to press further into red turf.
asserted
rating → underscore → turf
It’s why we’re seeing Republican groups start to triage House races and cut off incumbents they had hoped could defend their seats, in favor of shoring up more favorable districts.
uncertain
they → ’ → districts
A similar situation has been playing out in the Senate, where money is leaving North Carolina and going into places like Kansas and South Carolina.
asserted
money → play → Kansas
And it’s why you’re seeing Republicans in battleground races increasingly put distance between themselves and Trump on issues like tariffs and the Iran war on the debate stage and campaign trail.
asserted
Republicans → ’ → stage
It’s worth emphasizing that the die is not cast.
asserted
die → ’ → ?
Republicans are playing defense, but they’re doing so in their own territory — and they have hundreds of millions of dollars in outside money at their disposal.
asserted
they → play → disposal
But it’s clear that the environment continues to break in Democrats’ direction.
asserted
environment → ’ → direction
And the big question is whether Republicans will be able to keep the bottom from falling out — with an assist from the GOP-leaning map — or if voters’ frustration with the party in power will lead to a widespread rebuke at the ballot box.
asserted
frustration → keep → box
We’ll discuss all this and more this Sunday on “Meet the Press,” where I’ll speak with Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who has been barnstorming Southern states in support of Democratic candidates, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
asserted
who → discuss → candidates
Steve Kornacki will also join us to unveil the results from our latest NBC News Decision Desk Poll.
asserted
Kornacki → join → Poll
Katie Zacharia is out as White House secretary after just five days on the job, following a widely panned first press briefing and the revelation that she represented herself as a lawyer but did not pass her bar exam.
asserted
she → follow → exam
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., campaigned today for the Democratic candidate in Florida’s heavily Hispanic 27th District, which Trump carried by 15 points in 2024.
asserted
Trump → campaign → 2024
He told NBC News it’s one of “an abundance of options” for his party to flip seats this fall.
asserted
party → tell → seats
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
