GOP donors, fearful of Trump-fueled electoral rout, direct big money down-ballot
Billionaire Paul Singer was an early and generous backer of Mitt Romney in the 2012 campaign, investing $1 million in a super PAC supporting the Republican presidential nominee more than a year before the election.
In this year’s White House contest, however, the hedge fund magnate has made clear that he’s not putting any resources behind Donald Trump. Instead, Singer is spreading his money down the Republican ballot: He shelled out more than $7 million through the end of June to nine super PACs backing congressional candidates.
He’s in good company. Some of the country’s wealthiest Republican donors are targeting Senate and House races around the country, hoping a financial firewall will protect the party’s congressional majorities on Nov. 8. Their investments — fuel for a record haul by super PACs this year — reflect a fear prevalent throughout the party: that Trump’s contentious candidacy threatens to trigger an electoral rout up and down the ballot.
Those worries spilled into public view Thursday, when a letter signed by more than 75 longtime GOP officials and party veterans asking the Republican National Committee to shift its resources to vulnerable Senate and House candidates was made public.