SLF has also booked $10 million in TV and radio ads in South Carolina, where polls have shown an unexpectedly tight race between Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison. The support will come as a relief to Graham, who went on Fox News last week and begged the audience to donate to him, pleading, “Help me. They’re killing me, money-wise. Help me.” Graham wasn’t wrong: The State’s Joseph Bustos reported on Thursday that Harrison has $11.1 million in ad time reserved for the rest of the campaign compared to the $1.5 million Graham has booked.
While SLF’s upcoming ad blitz will help Team Red narrow their deficit, though, Harrison’s side will likely retain a big financial advantage. SMP recently launched its own $6.5 million buy here to aid Harrison, while the DSCC announced last week that it was making a "seven-figure investment” in this race. By contrast, the only other major outside group helping Graham is Security is Strength, an Orwellian-named PAC that has $2.2 million booked through Election Day.
More importantly for Harrison, though, super PAC money doesn't buy as many ads as campaigns themselves. The reason is that super PACs need to spend far more money than campaigns to purchase ad time because FCC regulations give candidates—but not outside groups—discounted rates on TV and radio.
Super PACs also can't pay campaign staff salaries, and of course, they are ostensibly barred from coordinating with campaigns (though there are ways to get around these rules). This means that, unless Fox News viewers take Graham’s pleading to heart and start donating in droves, Republican outside groups will need to throw down much more outside money to match Harrison on the airwaves.
Finally, Politico’s James Arkin writes that SLF has booked an additional $4.7 million in Georgia, where both sides are spending millions in the contest between Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. SLF’s allies at American Crossroads have also reserved an extra $9.6 million in North Carolina, which is already the most expensive Senate race in the country by far.
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