President Donald Trump's political operation is now pouring tens of millions of dollars into competitive House and Senate races, but Republican strategists and lawmakers say the cash may be arriving too late to make a difference.
Early and mail voting is underway in nearly half the country this week, and GOP officials say the next two weeks will determine how much of the damage can still be contained now that voter attitudes about the cost of living and the war have been hardening since Labor Day, reported Politico.
"If there's movement by the second week of October, we'll know we're in good shape," said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who is running in one of the tightest House races in the country. "Republicans always outperform their polling."
GOP strategists are waiting to see whether the late infusion of super PAC spending can offset weeks of eroding support tied to gas prices, which have climbed to a national average of $4.48 a gallon, and to fatigue with Trump's focus on matters far removed from household budgets.
One House Republican from a solidly Republican district, granted anonymity to speak candidly about internal party dynamics, said the financial advantage may not be enough to overcome the political headwinds facing the party.
"The bottom’s beginning to fall out," that GOP lawmaker said.
"We have money that we've never had before, but they have every strategic advantage in their direction, and the president's made it worse — nobody in my district cares about the Kennedy Center, arches or the Reflecting Pool, all this nonsense," the lawmaker added.
The spending is concentrated in states Republicans believe still offer a realistic path to holding their majorities, including Michigan and New Hampshire, while some GOP operatives are privately weighing pulling back resources from tougher terrain in Georgia and North Carolina, according to people familiar with the party's internal deliberations.
Republican officials say the money can still make a difference in races where the fight remains close, but only if it arrives in time to shift persuadable voters before they cast ballots – but with those already going out, the party's window to prove that its financial advantage can outweigh the political environment is narrowing by the day.
The coming two weeks, lawmakers and strategists say, will likely determine not whether Republicans lose seats in November, but how many.