As the saying goes, better late than never: a Trump-aligned super PAC is set to pour millions into the 2022 midterms. It’s welcome news to a slew of candidates who have been cash-strapped as we enter the most critical and expensive period of the midterm elections. The Republican leadership has been asleep at the wheel throughout the summer, or so it seems, given the absence of enthusiasm for the eventual GOP primary winners. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been outright defeatist, saying that the GOP probably isn’t going to retake the Senate due to candidate quality concerns. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) absconded to Italy on a luxury yacht while doing nothing to help Republican Senate candidates who have been desperate for financial support. Scott has been accused of using the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which he chairs this cycle, to promote his political career.
Is it a coincidence that the recalcitrance of GOP leadership regarding supporting their 2022 midterm slate comes off the heels of victories clinched by Trump-endorsed candidates? I think not—but that’s the nature of the beast. McConnell’s PAC could have poured money into these races, and they’re doing so now—but what about the former president and his allies’ financial resources?
Yes, this pro-Trump PAC will inject a deluge of much-needed funds into some key races, but the MAGA Again, another PAC that’s raised over $100 million, has spent little of its war chest on the elections. Trump PACs starting to cut checks now—40 days from Election Day—isn’t as big a foul as Scott’s posh Italian vacation at the most crucial period this cycle and his overall soporific management style (via Daily Caller):
Former President Donald Trump’s close advisers are launching MAGA Inc., a new independent political action committee (PAC) that will spend millions to fund Trump-backed candidates ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Politico reported Friday.
MAGA Inc. will invest large sums of money into key November midterm races to help elect Republican House and Senate candidates that the former president is supporting, such as Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and Ohio Senate hopeful J.D. Vance, Politico reported, citing people close to Trump. The PAC can spend an unlimited amount of funds and could substantially ramp up GOP efforts to win back both the House and Senate as Republicans have been outspent by Democrats in important races across the nation.
“President Trump is committed to saving America, and Make America Great Again, Inc. will ensure that is achieved at the ballot box in November and beyond,” Taylor Budowich, a Trump spokesperson, told Politico.
Although Trump has endorsed over 200 candidates, his current super PAC, MAGA Again!, has spent very little of its over $100 million in funding and has had little impact in midterm races so far, the outlet reported. Super PACs like MAGA Inc. may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations and individuals but are not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates, according to the Federal Election Committee.
Still, it doesn’t paint the MAGA crowd in a good light, either. While the establishment had an allergy to MAGA candidates, it was also compounded by McConnell and Scott’s intra-party squabble over how the NRSC was being run. I’m hedging that the GOP upper crust felt that the high inflation, the economic recession, and the overall incompetence of the Biden White House was enough to put this election on self-drive mode.
On the MAGA side, they channeled that confidence that the economic recession could carry the field over the top. However, nothing is inevitable, and you still need to commit and drive home the fundamentals of campaigning. You still need to canvass neighborhoods, visit key figures representing important voter blocs, and saturate the media with your ads, hammering why people need to send you to DC. There’s no cruise control in an election, even ones viewed as eminently winnable.
The GOP establishment needs to accept that the Trump element in the base is here to stay, their message is popular, and their candidates will win more than a few primaries and general elections. The MAGA wing should have started doling out money long before the 40-day mark. Both sides should have realized that their squabbles are genuinely peripheral issues that could have been hashed out later. Win the damn election first.