Democratic Senate campaign arm pulls ad reservations from West Virginia

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s independent expenditure arm is pulling roughly two weeks worth of ad reservations from West Virginia next month. 

The move was announced Wednesday by ad-tracking company Medium Buying and comes as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) appears increasingly well-positioned to hold onto his Senate seat in November.

WV-Sen: DSCC IE is canceling TV schedules that had been booked for 10/2-10/15

The group still has spending in place for 10/16 through Election Day@jennifereduffy rates race as Lean Democratic

— Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) September 26, 2018

{mosads} The ad schedules were set to run between Oct. 2 and Oct. 15, according to Medium Buying.

The move by the DSCC suggests that the committee is increasingly comfortable with Manchin’s position in his race against West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and may be looking to shift its resources elsewhere.

The DSCC still has ad spending in place in the state from Oct. 16 through Election Day on Nov. 6. 

Manchin is among 10 Senate Democrats seeking reelection this year in states won by President Trump in 2016. West Virginia gave the president one of his largest margins of victory that year, suggesting early on that Manchin would face a tough fight to hold onto his seat.

Trump beat Hillary Clinton in West Virginia in 2016 by more than 40 points in 2016.

But Manchin has often refrained from criticizing the president in the same vein as some other Senate Democrats. He has instead sought to cast himself as moderate willing to work with Trump when he deems it necessary.

Manchin, a moderate Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2010 and is seeking a second full-term in office, has surged ahead of Morrisey in recent polls. An Emerson College survey conducted earlier this month showed the Democratic incumbent leading Morrisey by 12 points.

The Cook Political Report also recently moved the race out of the “toss-up” column and into the “lean Democrat” column. That means that, while the race remains competitive, Manchin holds a slight advantage.

“Senator Manchin continues to be well positioned for his reelection,” a DSCC source said Wednesday.