Senate Dems’ campaign arm rolls out first TV ads of the cycle

Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is rolling out its first independent expenditure advertisements for several candidates this week as it prepares for the fall election.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is launching ads in several key battleground states that will likely determine which party wins control of the upper chamber in November. The ads released Wednesday target Arizona GOP nominee Kari Lake, Michigan GOP nominee and former Rep. Mike Rogers, Pennsylvania GOP nominee Dave McCormick, Wisconsin GOP candidate Eric Hovde and Montana GOP nominee Tim Sheehy. 

The ads are part of a $79 million advertising plan that the DSCC announced in the spring for 2024, which includes television, digital and radio advertisements.

They were initially reported by Politico.

Independent expenditures specifically advocate for or against a certain candidate but are not made in coordination with any campaign. 

Meanwhile, the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm released its first TV ad in Michigan to go after Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic nominee for Senate running against Rogers. 

The moves signal that the race for the Senate is heating up with Election Day now less than three months away. 

Democrats, including independents who caucus with the party, currently hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, but Republicans are hopeful that the map of Senate seats up for election this year will give them a strong chance of taking back control. 

The GOP has several more pickup opportunities in the Senate this year with more vulnerable Democratic incumbents seeking reelection and retiring Democrats in battleground states than Republicans. But polls have shown Democratic candidates mostly with an advantage in match-ups with their Republican opponents and had been showing them outperforming President Biden in their states while he was still in the race. 

A few early polls have shown a similar trend with Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket.