Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) has crisscrossed the nation this month to marketing campaign with Senate GOP incumbents and challengers, hoping to lock down the votes he must put him excessive in a carefully contested management race with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
This month alone, Thune has traveled to Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Montana and New York Metropolis to attend a fundraiser for Arizona Republican candidate Kari Lake and different GOP candidates. He’s visited a few of these states a number of instances.
Thune held digital occasions with Nevada candidate Sam Brown, Ohio candidate Bernie Moreno, and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), who has a tougher-than-expected race in opposition to unbiased Dan Osborn.
And he took a bus tour of Wisconsin on Tuesday with Republican businessman Eric Hovde, who’s in a dead-heat race with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
Cornyn has logged 1000’s of frequent flier miles himself.
He hung out final week with former President Trump in Texas and earlier this month attended a rally with Trump in Reno.
He additionally held hard-dollar fundraising occasions this month with candidates throughout the nation, together with former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in Michigan, fight veteran Brown in Nevada, and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) in Indiana.
He held occasions in Dallas and Houston earlier this month that raised $1 million in at some point for Moreno, Rogers, Hovde and Montana candidate Tim Sheehy, displaying as soon as once more that Texas is likely one of the largest Republican fundraising machines within the nation.
One former senior Senate Republican aide with expertise in management races advised The Hill these late marketing campaign visits may assist put both candidate excessive of their bid to turn out to be chief.
“It’s critical. The election for leader is deeply personal and it’s all about your friendship and connection with the candidate,” stated the previous aide.
Senate Republican sources say neither Thune nor Cornyn seem to have locked down commitments from a majority of Republican senators, and a big chunk of the convention is ready on the outcomes of the 2024 election earlier than promising their votes to somebody. Thune and Cornyn so evenly matched of their skills, temperament and relationships that something may swing the race to at least one candidate or the opposite, they are saying.
“[Thune] and John Cornyn are so similar in so many respects. Each of them would probably do an equal job,” stated Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “Then you look at existing relationships. For me, it’s a really tough one.”
The third candidate within the race to switch McConnell is Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R), who proper now’s targeted on his reelection race.
He’s seen as trailing Thune and Cornyn, however his allies hope he may win if former President Trump wins and throws his help wholeheartedly behind Scott.
Thune says his high objective is to assist his “team” win again management of the Senate, however each goodwill level scored may assist tip the vote to switch Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who will step down from his management position after heading the Senate GOP convention for 18 years.
Thune elevated his disbursements to GOP colleagues and candidates dramatically after the third quarter of 2023, when it turned growing clear to Republican senators that McConnell was more likely to step down from his place due to lingering well being issues associated to a fall he suffered that March.
Confronted with McConnell’s imminent retirement, Thune has needed to show to colleagues that coming from a small state wouldn’t hamper his potential to lift cash for the occasion, one thing McConnell excelled at all through his profession.
Cornyn, Thune’s high rival, comes from one of many wealthiest Republican states within the nation and has a protracted historical past of giving generously to GOP candidates.
Cornyn has directed practically $325 million to Senate Republican colleagues, candidates, management PACs and the Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee since 2002, when he gained election to Congress.
And he has raised $26 million within the present election cycle, together with $11.8 million for the NRSC. Since 2002, he has offered $500,000 an individual to 33 senators and candidates.
Thune was regarded by Senate Republican sources earlier this yr because the “front-runner” to switch McConnell given he’s the second highest-ranking member of the Senate GOP management. As whip, he has a hands-on position managing the Senate flooring, one thing that turned extra obvious after McConnell had a concussion in March 2023.
However there’s a sense the race with Cornyn has tightened in current months. Senate Republican sources now say Cornyn seems to have momentum after asserting his profession fundraising accomplishments for the Senate GOP.
Thune reported simply greater than $1 million in quarterly contributions to GOP colleagues and candidates within the third quarter of 2023. That quantity then jumped to $2 million within the fourth quarter of 2023 and skyrocketed to greater than $5 million within the second quarter this yr.
He has raised greater than $31 million for Senate Republicans this cycle, together with cash raised by way of his marketing campaign accounts, for the NRSC and instantly for candidates. Thune set a file by transferring $4 million from his private marketing campaign account to the NRSC final month. And he raised $2 million in September for Trump at a fundraiser in Washington, accounting for half the whole fundraising whole for the occasion.
He has headlined greater than 200 occasions for candidates and the Senate Republican marketing campaign arm this election cycle and ranks solely behind NRSC Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) as the highest fundraiser for the marketing campaign committee this cycle.
Thune intensified his marketing campaign actions in August and September, forging stronger bonds with colleagues and candidates.
Earlier than this month, he traveled across the nation to assist Cramer, Banks, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Republican candidate David McCormick in Pennsylvania, Lake, Brown, Sheehy, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Rogers, Moreno, Hovde and Rep. John Curtis (R), who’s working for Senate in Utah.
