Top GOP group pauses spending in North Carolina in latest Senate warning sign

By Patrick Svitek, CNN

(CNN) — National Republicans are starting to make major moves to divert resources away from the North Carolina Senate race where GOP candidate Michael Whatley has long been trailing in polls.

The Senate Leadership Fund, the top Republican super PAC in Senate contests, is putting a pause on its ad spending in the state, according to a source familiar with its plans.

At the same time, the super PAC is beginning a seven-figure ad campaign in Kansas, where GOP incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall is facing a tough challenge from Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton, the source said.

The news, which was first reported by Semafor, represents a major pivot by Republicans as they seek to save their Senate majority in the upcoming midterm elections. Democrats took encouragement from the group’s decision to shift its focus to redder territory.

“The fact that the biggest Republican Senate Super PAC took its money out of North Carolina today and put it into Kansas says all you need to know about which direction the Senate Majority is headed,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X.

North Carolina was once viewed as a top-tier seat for the GOP to defend, and the Senate Leadership Fund has already spent over $30 million on advertising in the state this cycle. But Whatley has remained behind the Democratic nominee, former Gov. Roy Cooper, in virtually every recent poll.

By focusing now on Kansas, the group is acknowledging that Marshall needs serious help in a state that President Donald Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2024. Vice President JD Vance recently visited the state to hold a rally with Marshall.

There have been other warning signs for Whatley in recent weeks. Another GOP super PAC, Old North Action, cut its ad reservations in the state by about a third last month. And on Friday, the conservative super PAC Americans for Prosperity Action, which also supports him, announced a $22 million ad campaign through Election Day for five Senate GOP candidates — but not Whatley.

Whatley has waved off concerns about outside funding, saying in a radio interview last week that he feels “very comfortable” he will have the money he needs to win.

In response to the Senate Leadership Fund’s decision, Whatley’s campaign invoked Cooper’s long-running argument that Democrats cannot take the race for granted.

“Undecided Voters who break late decide the election in North Carolina and the majority of those Late-Breakers typically go Republican,” Whatley spokesperson DJ Griffin said in a statement, adding that the campaign feels “confident” it has the money it needs to defeat Cooper.

Some Republicans have suggested in recent weeks that the party consider pulling back on its commitments in not only North Carolina, but also in Georgia.

In Georgia, Republican Rep. Mike Collins faces an uphill battle against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, despite Trump winning the state in 2024.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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