The National Republican Congressional Committee and conservative third-party groups such as American Crossroads are working feverishly to capitalize on the new opportunities of a rapidly expanding playing field ahead of what is expected to be a good night for the GOP on Tuesday.
As one GOP strategist put it Wednesday, “the more ships we have on the water when the wind is blowing our way, the more that are going to come ashore.”
Both parties are working to determine where the true late-breaking races are.
Today, the NRCC is going up with a television ad in Idaho’s 1st district as well as a radio ad in New York’s 1st district. Those ad buys represent the first independent expenditures that the NRCC has sunk into either district, although the GOP has long talked about targeting both.
The NRCC’s move Wednesday to spend $170,000 against Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) was less expected but not as surprising as a $15,000 media buy against Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) on Tuesday. Pingree represents a solidly Democratic seat that President Barack Obama carried by 23 points.
Also this week, the well-financed conservative group American Crossroads made $3 million in ad buys in House races, including a few places that have long been considered Democratic strongholds. Among the Democratic-held districts where Americans Crossroads has decided to play are those of Reps. Jim Costa (Calif.), Russ Carnahan (Mo.) and Maurice Hinchey (N.Y.).
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