Republicans Yanking Cash From Incumbent Reps Tom Kean, Mariannette Miller-Meeks
By Daily Caller News Foundation (/journals/dcnf)
Top Republican super political action committees (PACs) pulled spending supporting Republican Reps. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, a source familiar confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a super PAC aligned with Speaker Mike Johnson, reallocated $10 million from Kean’s and Miller-Meeks’ districts, as well as from Michigan’s eighth district and Ohio’s first district, according to the source familiar. The CLF plans to redirect that money across 16 new districts, including in Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas.
“For two years, we’ve built the resources and infrastructure that allow us to maneuver in a difficult environment,” Chris Winkelman, the president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, said in a statement to The New York Times. “These moves keep the pressure on the most vulnerable Democrats and preserve a path to 218 seats.”
The money is be redirected to aid Republican incumbents Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, Rob Wittman of Virginia and Bill Huizenga of Michigan.
Kean missed every roll call vote from March 5 to June 30 while he recovered from depression. His illness remained undisclosed throughout his absence and his whereabouts remained unknown until his return.
Kean won his last election against Democratic New Jersey congressional candidate Sue Altman by a 51.8% to 46.4% margin in 2024. Cook Political Report, a prominent elections forecaster, labeled Kean as the “clear underdog” in his upcoming race.
New Jersey’s seventh district flipped red in 2022, but leaned Democratic in 2026 in voter registration.
The New Jersey Republican trailed Democratic New Jersey congressional nominee Rebecca Bennett in the polls. Bennett led 47% to 42% in an Insider New Jersey/Stim Sight poll released Sept. 14.
Miller-Meeks faces a competitive race against former Democratic Iowa state Rep. Christina Bohannan in Iowa’s first district. She defeated Bohannan in 2024 by just one point, 50.1% to 49.9%.
Cook Political Report rated the race as leaning Democrat.
Democratic Reps. Kristen MacDonald Rivet of Michigan and Greg Landsman of Ohio are expected to win their races, prompting Republicans to pull spending from those districts, according to Cook Political Report.
Rivet’s district was among the few that voted for a Democratic representative and President Donald Trump for president in 2024.
Republican PACs spent heavily on red states in Senate races, including Texas, Kansas and Iowa. Republican-aligned spending totaled nearly $1.2 million in support of Republican South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds between the weeks of Aug. 11 and Monday, even though the incumbent senator won his last race by over 30 points.
Elon Musk spent at least $276 million on Republican groups since July. He made one of the largest political donations in U.S. history by donating $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC for Republican Senate candidates, which is more than the group’s Democratic rival raised that quarter.
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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.