The money spigot is sputtering in Georgia’s Senate race amid growing expectations that Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff will win reelection.<\/p>\n

The Senate Leadership Fund, Republicans\u2019 top Senate super PAC, did not spend on broadcast television in the state last week \u2014 the first week they were off air in the race, according to tracking firm AdImpact. Neither did Democrats\u2019 Senate Majority PAC<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Senate Majority PAC will also be dark again this week, the Chuck Schumer-aligned group shared first with Blue Light News. It was not immediately clear whether SLF would follow suit. The group declined to comment on their future spending plans in the state.<\/p>\n

The spending slowdown underscores how dramatically Georgia\u2019s place on the Senate map has shifted, as Ossoff maintains wide margins over Republican Rep. Mike Collins in public polling and fundraising. Georgia was expected to be one of the cycle\u2019s most expensive and preeminent battlegrounds \u2014 now some of the biggest outside spenders are pulling back and turning their attention to more competitive races in redder territory.<\/p>\n

The two major Senate super PACs have closely mirrored each other\u2019s spending decisions in recent weeks, with neither fully retreating from the state. They still both technically have future ad reservations booked past this week, but those are not binding, leaving both sides with the flexibility to redirect money as they assess the Senate map. And with two weeks until Election Day and early voting already underway in Georgia, it\u2019s unclear whether either will spend any more in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cNational Republicans are abandoning Mike Collins as he continues to show Georgians why he\u2019s unelectable and unfit for office. We are committed to seeing Jon Ossoff through to victory as we come to the final days of this campaign,\u201d SMP spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Collins’ campaign, in a statement, said they were “grateful to every group that’s standing with Rep. Collins and welcome their continued support.”<\/p>\n

“With early voting underway, he’s working every day to earn the vote of every Georgian, because Jon Ossoff is a radical leftist who wants to raise their taxes and make their families less safe. Rep. Collins will keep making that case until Ossoff is held accountable on Election Day,” Collins spokesperson Meyer Siegfried said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Ossoff’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

SMP had pledged in the spring to spend $20 million on television<\/u><\/a> for the race, but as of Friday had only spent or reserved $11.5 million, per AdImpact. SLF had announced an initial $44 million investment<\/u><\/a>, but has so far only spent or reserved roughly $20 million.<\/p>\n

No Going Back PAC, which is affiliated with President Donald Trump\u2019s MAGA Inc. super PAC, has also dramatically scaled back its own spending on the race over the last two weeks, according to AdImpact.<\/p>\n

Republican operatives are still monitoring Georgia\u2019s governor\u2019s race, where recent public polling shows GOP nominee Rick Jackson slightly ahead of Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms. Republicans believe Jackson\u2019s strength could keep the Senate race closer than currently expected.<\/p>\n

But they have grown increasingly pessimistic<\/u><\/a> about their prospects of flipping Georgia\u2019s Senate seat, as Collins trails Ossoff in the polls and the overall environment for the GOP continues to grow more difficult. SLF\u2019s decision to go dark last week \u2014 so close to the election \u2014 raises questions about how much more the group will ultimately invest in the state.<\/p>\n

“Every dollar Schumer spends in Georgia is one not spent on offense in red states. Republicans\u2019 financial advantage doesn\u2019t just show up in more ads, it keeps Dems on defense,” a person familiar with SLF’s spending plans told Blue Light News.<\/p>\n

Ossoff also holds a massive fundraising advantage over Collins<\/u><\/a>, who had just over $1 million cash on hand as of Oct. 1, giving Ossoff a major financial cushion in the final stretch even before the major Senate super PACs pulled back their spending.<\/p>\n

The GOP has been triaging races across the map<\/u><\/a>: SLF shifted money out of North Carolina<\/u><\/a>, another perennial battleground, while moving resources toward defending GOP-held seats in states like Kansas<\/u><\/a> and South Carolina, where the Senate contests have become increasingly competitive.<\/p>\n

Still, even as the money going into Georgia has continued to slow, Trump appears to be prioritizing<\/u><\/a> the longtime battleground.<\/p>\n

At a rally in Dalton on Friday, he urged voters to \u201cpretend\u201d he\u2019s on the ballot, while praising Collins and the state\u2019s GOP governor\u2019s nominee, Rick Jackson.<\/p>\n

Meredith Lee Hill and Andrew Howard contributed.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"