Trump super PAC faces sky-high rates as it comes in too late to boost GOP candidates: report

On Friday, POLITICO reported that Make America Great Again Inc., the newly-formed Trump-aligned super PAC aiming to boost Senate Republicans in close races around the country, is running into a huge problem: it's too late to buy campaign ad time at a reasonable price.

"The large ad buys from MAGA Inc. are a momentum boost for GOP candidates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona — several of whom won competitive primaries earlier this year after being endorsed by Trump but have struggled since then with fundraising and in the polls," reported Jessica Piper. "Republicans are hoping that victories in at least three of those five states will help them regain control of the U.S. Senate."

"But the Trump-linked super PAC is entering saturated TV markets in each state, where the hotly contested races have already attracted major cash from campaigns and other outside groups," said the report. "The latest buys also come at the moment when political TV advertising is most expensive — particularly for super PACs, which already pay higher rates than candidates."

As one example the article noted, MAGA Inc. put $425,000 into ads in Columbus, Ohio this week, versus Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan, whose campaign booked $336,000 in that same area in that same time span — but Ryan's money purchased 50% more in gross rating points on broadcast TV than MAGA Inc.'s spending did.

According to WFMZ, MAGA Inc. was formed in September by a slew of longtime Trump loyalists, including Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich, GOP strategist Chris LaCivita, Trump-aligned pollster Tony Fabrizio, and communications staffers Alex Pfeiffer and Steven Cheung.

"While the ad buys represent a notable investment from the former president, they still account for a relatively small share of ads running in the five states. The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund still has more money invested in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia and Nevada than Trump’s group for now," noted the report. "That super PAC and others on both sides also face the high rates that stations can charge at this time of great demand. But Trump’s is the latest to highlight just how much it can cost outside groups to play in the weeks before an election."

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