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A new $120 million pledge to boost the ranks of President Biden and his allies brings total expected spending from outside groups working toward Biden’s re-election to $1 billion this year. .
The League of Conservation Voters, a major climate change organization that spends the most on progressive causes, announced Tuesday that Biden’s Republican opponent, former President Donald J. Trump, is struggling to raise funds. announced plans to support Mr. funds. Biden’s campaign, which is independent from outside groups, plans to raise and spend $2 billion as part of his re-election effort.
Republican groups are also likely to spend heavily heading into November, but it is difficult to directly compare Democratic and Republican groups. Democrats and progressive groups often announce spending plans before raising money, which often comes from small donors. Republican groups that rely more on big donors tend not to telegraph their plans.
Outside funding supporting Biden is coming from more than a dozen organizations, including climate groups, labor unions and traditional super PACs. There are also left-wing groups like Move On and moderate Republicans like Republican Voters Against Trump.
The biggest spender so far has been Future Forward, a super PAC benefiting the Biden campaign, which has set aside more than $250 million for TV and digital ads. The International Service Employees Union announced last week that it would spend $200 million to support Biden and other Democrats. Democratic research organization American Bridge announced in January that it plans to spend $140 million on an anti-Trump ad campaign in battleground states.
“The scale of what we’re talking about is unlike anything we’ve seen before in our nation’s history,” said End, a government reform advocacy group that works to limit the ability of outside groups like this. Tiffany Muller, president of Citizens United, said: You can spend unlimited amounts on elections.
On Wednesday, the League of Conservative Voters will hold its annual dinner in Washington. Those scheduled to attend include Vice President Kamala Harris, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader New York Democrat and a handful of other Democratic lawmakers.
Pete Maysmith, the league’s senior vice president of campaigns, said the group’s funding will primarily be provided through super PACs, with advertising campaigns on television and digital platforms and an opportunity to get members and supporters to make their voices heard. It said it would provide grants for both field programs it encourages. Friends, please vote for Biden.
“It’s hard to imagine the stakes being higher in this election,” Maysmith said. “We will talk to voters in battleground states and key races about the stakes, why President Biden is such a champion on climate change, and how to win back Donald Trump and his MAGA followers and Big Oil. I intend to convey the clear and extreme danger of this.” He will remain in office for four more years. ”
Stephanie Schriock, former president of Emily’s List, a group that supports and funds Democratic women candidates, said the amount of outside funding supporting Biden is between $2.5 billion and $3 billion, and that legal aid is on the rise. He said he expected a lot of money to be spent. This fall’s issues and efforts to get out the vote.
Mr. Shryock said large Democratic donors have been active in recent weeks as Mr. Trump moves closer and closer to winning the Republican presidential nomination.
“People didn’t want to believe it was going to be Donald Trump again,” she said. “The whole concept of something like this happening again made them freeze, but since Super Tuesday, things have changed. People are like, ‘Oh, this is happening, this is real.’ .”
The $1 billion in Democratic funding pledged on behalf of Biden does not include an additional $239 million in ad bookings made by Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC dedicated to electing Senate Democrats. do not have. House Majority PAC, a super PAC supporting House Democrats, has not yet booked any ads. A spokeswoman declined Monday to reveal the group’s plans.
The $1 billion is also expected to come from tens of millions of dollars (and potentially more) from Democratic-backed groups, including Planned Parenthood, and political groups backed by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. It does not take into account the influx of people (if not all). Neither Planned Parenthood nor Mr. Bloomberg’s organization has announced spending plans for the 2024 election, but past spending has been large.
One Republican group announcing plans is Faith and Freedom, a conservative group led by Trump ally Ralph Reed, which last week launched a campaign to register evangelical voters for Trump. announced that it would spend $62 million to
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC supporting Senate Republican candidates, has also set aside $130 million in ad time for Senate races in Ohio and Montana.
A major Trump super PAC spent $380,000 on radio ads targeting black voters. On the day of Biden’s State of the Union address this month, another pro-Trump super PAC spent $500,000 on TV ads.
The disparity between pro-Biden and pro-Trump outside groups reflects the financial advantage of Biden’s campaign over Trump’s.
Biden’s campaign, along with the Democratic National Committee and affiliated fundraising groups, announced Sunday that it entered March with $155 million in cash on hand. The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee held about $40 million at the end of January. Groups have not released recent totals.
The Biden campaign is prohibited from working with outside groups, but has publicly encouraged them to do so.
“While Donald Trump and the cash-strapped Republican Party continue to show no interest or ability to build a winning coalition, these efforts will reach the voters who will decide this election,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez said. This is a substantial and meaningful investment that is expected to have a positive impact.” , Biden’s campaign manager.
Maysmith, of the League of Conservative Voters, said his group will work with other pro-Biden super PACs to avoid duplication and expand efforts. He said plans were already underway to talk to voters who tend to support Biden’s climate change policies but are concerned about his age.
“If they are expressing concerns about the age of the president, we will listen to that, acknowledge that, and then explain why the president may not be the youngest, but he is as good as any president in the country when it comes to climate change.” “I’m prepared to articulate how we’ve accomplished more than the history of this country,” Maysmith said.
Other groups supporting Biden that have announced 2024 spending plans include VoteVets, the Family Friendly Economy Campaign, pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country, and Climate Power, which announced an $80 million plan last year. is included.
Mueller said the huge spending by outside groups could lead to long-sought restrictions on such large inflows into the U.S. political ecosystem if Biden is re-elected with a Democratic majority in Congress. He said there is.
“Voter trust could continue to be eroded,” she said. “There’s not much room left for it to fall.”
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