The National Republican Senatorial Committee had a disastrous midterm election in 2022. It was a joke because of a series of bad candidates, massive amounts of money wasted, and questionable fundraiser tactics. There were many other reasons that the GOP’s 2022 midterm elections failed.
The NRSC’s biggest problem was that the organization was used to promote a possible presidential run by Rick Scott, then the chairperson and Senator from Florida.
As chairman, NRSC lined up behind candidates who were just amazingly poor. There were also many questions regarding the organization’s fundraising methods and where the money raised by these tactics actually ended up. A report released in the middle campaign season revealed that the NRSC “lost” $180 million.
According to a Times article, the NRSC under Scott took advantage of predatory fundraising methods and invested heavily in digital overhauls without being able to manage the money raised.
The Times reports that “one fund-raising scheme” used by the Senate Committee, which was not previously disclosed, involved sending millions of text messages asking provocative questions, such as “Should Biden Resign?” — followed by an appeal for cash, “Reply Yes to Donate.”
WinRed, which is the main money-processing platform of the Republican Party, intervened and ordered the NRSC not to do it.
Money spent on digital advertising, aimed at small-dollar donors, to encourage them to donate (like text message hits), is in the tens and twenties of millions. But it wasn’t enough to cover these costs. According to the article, refund requests have quadrupled.
Republicans outside the NRSC called it the “National Rick Scott Committee” and reports indicated that donations were automatically diverted to Scott if the division of money wasn’t changed. If you donate via an NRSC-linked link, only a tiny percentage will go to the candidate you were asked to support. The vast majority goes to the NRSC.
Scott’s organization has been a complete disaster since the midterm elections.
Steve Daines is now the new head of the NRSC. POLITICO claims that the committee is actually doing a good job (which may be a death kiss from POLITICO but it’s better than Scott).
In recent weeks, the Senate GOP campaign received good news when two conservative politicians who were considering a run for upper chamber — Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano, and Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson – both decided to forgo statewide elections. GOP strategists were worried that these two men could complicate the path they took to retake the Senate where Democrats have a majority of one vote. The party had already recruited a top recruit, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice. Jim Justice vs. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.
Daines is not the only one responsible for this. It’s not entirely in his hands. It’s good news for the NRSC, however, that it doesn’t appear to be a costly internal party fight during the 2022 primary elections. Daines could, with the help of the right people, take advantage of the current national mood towards Biden and Democrats and win the election. His predecessor was unable to do this.
Nobody in the ranks believes that these developments will alone result in victory. Behind the scenes, Republicans led by National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Steve Daines have been celebrating the good run they’ve had. They expect that the positive vibes will continue. There is growing confidence in private that the team will be able to land more top recruits, especially in critical swing states like Montana, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.
Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said: “There are good people nibbling at the hook.” It’s up to Daines now to get that set up.
We have shown that the Republican Party has a history of grabbing victory from the jaws. Daines still has his work cut out, but this year’s re-election cycle is more favorable for the GOP. If the NRSC, along with other Republican groups, do their job properly, they can undo 2022.
Hold out some hope, even if you don’t want to hold your breath.
