Conservatives have money. A lot of it, too. And they are increasingly throwing their weight around in the fight for control of Congress.
A super PAC aligned with Heritage Action for America is preparing to spend no less than $1 million in support of three Republicans running for Congress in Nevada, RealClearPolitics is first to report.
The three Republicans are Adam Laxalt, who is running for Senate, and Sam Peters and April Becker, who are running for the House. The money will come from the Sentinel Action Fund, a partner organization of Heritage Action.
“All three candidates are serious conservative fighters who will take the fight to D.C. and work tirelessly to champion the American people on all issues that matter to Americans,” Jessica Anderson, president of the Sentinel Action Fund, said in a statement to RCP.
Most of the money will be directed toward voter outreach, not just ad buys: door knocking, phone calls, and text messages – all the normal avenues of modern political campaigns. But the infusion of cash also signals something else.
When politicos hear Heritage, they normally think policy wonks or grassroots advocates. And operatives and organizers are already familiar with the usual super PAC players like the Club for Growth or the National Rifle Association. Heritage, with its Sentinel Action Fund, is a relatively new addition. Their goal is to build a more permanent electioneering infrastructure.
Georgia was their first battleground, and they backed Herschel Walker, the Republican who will challenge Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock come November. They have waded into House races in Ohio and Texas more recently, all the while increasing the size of their thumbprint on the coming Republican majorities that they hope will define the second half of President Biden’s term.
Democrats control the Senate by a single vote, making Republicans ecstatic about their chances at retaking that upper chamber. Conservatives are no different, and Anderson told RCP that they see Nevada specifically “as an actual sleeper pickup opportunity.”
“The state was hit hard by the Left’s COVID lockdowns, and they have seen the highest inflation rates in the country, thanks to Democrats’ spending firehose in Congress,” she added. “The state also has a large Hispanic population that is embracing conservative policies, which we believe will make the state a conservative stronghold in years to come. We are excited for the future of Nevada and the future of the country.”
A former state attorney general, Laxalt will square off with incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. He already has the support of former President Donald Trump, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Star power will help, but history doesn’t favor the GOP in the Silver State. They haven’t won a presidential election in Nevada since 2004.
If Laxalt pulls out a win, his victory won’t just mean another seat in the Senate. Republicans will take it as a sign that the political landscape has shifted in their favor. Conservatives are eager to cast Cortez Masto in that historical melodrama. Anderson said the senator “represents everything wrong with the socialist agenda of the modern Democratic party.”
Cortez Masto narrowly won her seat in 2016, the same year that Hillary Clinton carried the state, defeating Donald Trump by just under 30,000 votes. Biden easily won the state four years later. In the time since though, Republicans are betting that voter sentiment has shifted.
“Americans are tired of seeing the same career politicians in D.C. failing them year after year. They’re tired of seeing Biden and his Left-wing allies in Congress replay the Jimmy Carter years. Americans are tired of skyrocketing inflation, foreign policy failures, and anarchy in their streets. Americans are tired of the Swamp putting their interests last – they’re ready for a change, and they’re ready for candidates who will restore American greatness,” Anderson concluded.
