Trump's Super PAC Has Spent Nearly $277 Million Since September, Including Millions in New Hampshire

President Donald Trump's main super PAC has spent nearly $277 million since the start of September to help Republicans in the final stretch of the midterm elections, according to new federal campaign finance filings, an amount that a veteran GOP strategist called unmatched by any sitting president.

MAGA Inc. reported the spending in filings with the Federal Election Commission covering activity through Oct. 14, the Associated Press reported in a story published by Fortune. The total includes transfers of $200 million to No Going Back PAC Inc. and $25 million to Safety & Affordability PAC Inc., two affiliated groups that have been buying advertising.

"It's more than any president has ever spent, by far, on the midterms," said Corry Bliss, a Republican strategist who was executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, House Republicans' super PAC, in the 2018 campaign, according to the AP.

For the full election cycle, MAGA Inc. reported $300.5 million in disbursements through Oct. 14, with $75.5 million of that spent in the first two weeks of October, CNBC reported. The PAC had $164.3 million in cash on hand. It began September with nearly $416 million in the bank, the AP reported, and has continued raising money from billionaire backers including businesswoman Diane Hendricks, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman and casino magnate Steve Wynn.

In a post on his social media site Tuesday, Trump said he planned to spend "over 400 Million Dollars by Election Day," including $300 million he said had already been spent on advertising, voter contact, rallies, tele-rallies, get-out-the-vote programs and what he described as efforts to prevent voters from cheating, the AP reported.

The three Trump-affiliated groups required to report their donors have spent more than $256 million on advertising, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, as cited by the AP. That includes tens of millions of dollars in Texas to help Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico. Elon Musk has also invested heavily in Texas, leading Talarico to accuse him of trying to buy the seat.

No Going Back and Safety & Affordability have together reported more than $209 million in independent expenditures, CNBC reported. In Senate races, No Going Back has spent nearly $30 million in Michigan, $27.8 million in Ohio, $11.8 million in New Hampshire and $9.9 million in North Carolina, according to CNBC's analysis of FEC filings.

No Going Back's spending has been mostly negative, according to an analysis by Legis1. As of Oct. 14, the group had reported $159,556,964.99 in outside spending this cycle, with more than $20 million against former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, $19.37 million against Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, $8.82 million against former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and $7.55 million against Rep. Chris Pappas, the Democratic Senate candidate in New Hampshire. Its spending in support of Republicans is much smaller, led by $7.62 million for Ohio's Jon Husted.

Legis1 reported that the group's FEC file showed no donor or receipt records and no reported cash on hand, even as The New York Times and Reuters reported that it is funded by MAGA Inc. FactCheck.org reported on Oct. 12 that two of the PAC's congressional ads claimed Democrats support "sex changes for kids," and the Times reported that an ad attacking Pappas was misleading, according to Legis1.

Safety & Affordability has focused on House races, spending $3.76 million in Arizona's 1st District, $1.84 million in Maine's 2nd, $1.6 million in Wisconsin's 3rd, $1.48 million in North Carolina's 1st and $1.4 million in Ohio's 10th, CNBC reported. In Ohio's 10th, the money is defending Republican Rep. Mike Turner, who won by 18 points in 2024 and whose seat the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee now lists among possible pickups.

The late timing has had a cost. Because the Trump team waited until late in the cycle to begin advertising, the groups are paying far higher ad rates, sometimes more than five times what they would have paid by acting sooner, the AP reported.

The spending comes as Republicans try to hold slim majorities in the House and Senate. A New York Times/Siena College poll released Wednesday put Trump's approval rating at 36% and his disapproval at 59%, CNBC reported, and found Democrats leading by 10 points when voters were presented with the House candidates running in their districts. Of the 21 House races the Cook Political Report rates as toss-ups, 16 are held by Republicans.

MAGA Inc. also reported a $16.2 million disbursement on Oct. 8 labeled "voting education," CNBC reported, and the Times has reported that the group has run more than 2,200 unique Facebook and Instagram ads in more than 20 states urging Republicans to vote early or turn out. Election Day is Nov. 3.