Mitch McConnell Goes All Out to Keep Senate

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is taking no chances on Senate control this crucial election — and he's putting his money where his mouth is by plowing $160 million into the effort.

The funds come courtesy of his Senate Leadership Fund super PAC and his One Nation nonprofit.

Former Republican National Chairman Mike Duncan told me unequivocally who Republicans should think about when it comes to the Senate: “If Republicans keep their majority in the U.S. Senate, they’ll have Mitch McConnell to thank."

It's clear the GOP is feeling the heat over the vulnerable 54-seat Republican majority in the Senate.

McConnell's super PAC efforts were groundbreaking. “It is almost the largest super PAC in history,” political consultant Josh Holmes, former top aide to McConnell, told me.

With days to go before voting for Senate seats in 34 states, political pundits cite the vulnerables: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Only in Nevada, where Sen. Harry Reid is retiring, is a Democratic-held seat a prospect for falling into GOP hands.

“And [the McConnell organizations] have matched what unions, Emily’s List, and other Democratic outlets have been pouring into every one of the target states,” said Holmes.

In New Hampshire, where freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte is locked in a tight battle with Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, McConnell's forces plowed $34.5 million in the contest. In Pennsylvania, $24.5 million went to bolstering Sen. Pat Toomey (in a heated race with Democratic challenger Katie McGinty). And $22 million was spent in North Carolina, as polls show Republican Sen. Richard Burr in a dead heat with Democrat Deborah Ross.

Aides told me that in the past year, he has made 50 different trips to roughly 30 cities for meetings with major contributors.

In each of these meetings, Holmes explained, “he maintains the relationships he has and provides updates on what the Senate is doing.”

Steven Law, another former top aide to McConnell, runs the day-to-day operations of the Senate Leadership Fund. “What really propels [supporters of McConnell’s organization],” he told Newsmax, “is how the switching of one or two seats really can have an impact on policy for decades. The future of the Supreme Court and the role of the Senate as a check on the courts as a whole are a few things that motivate contributors to the fund.”

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.