WASHINGTON — The money race for the U.S. midterms has two very large numbers at the top of it. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would spend more than $400 million on Republican campaign efforts, while the New York Times reported that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is spending $80 million to help Democrats ahead of the November 3 midterm congressional elections.
'I have spent, or will be spending, over 400 Million Dollars by Election Day,' Trump said in a social media post, listing advertising, voter contact, rallies and get-out-the-vote programs among the destinations. Campaign filings show Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., and an affiliated group, No Going Back PAC, have spent at least $226 million on the elections so far.
Bloomberg's team told the Times he was sending about $80 million to Democrats in September and October. At least $50 million of it is directed to House races, including $24 million for Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control group Bloomberg co-founded, and $16 million to House Majority PAC, the main super PAC aligned with House Democratic leadership.
The commitments frame the final two weeks of a midterm fight in which Democrats are seeking to win control of Congress from Trump's Republicans. With both parties' biggest spenders now publicly pricing their efforts, the closing stretch will test whether record money can still move a polarized electorate.
