EXCLUSIVE — Republicans unleash their latest efforts to defeat Democrats in key races just a week before election day as the party looks to defend its control of the majority of state legislative chambers across the country.
The Republican State Leadership Committeethe largest organization of GOP state leaders in the country, will release its third and final round Advertising campaign ‘Left most wanted’that targets Democratic state lawmakers on their voting record in battleground states. The six-figure investment targets eight Democrats in Arizona, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Wisconsin for their voting records on energy, education and the economy.
For example, the ads target certain lawmakers “textbook politicians” while you touch others because they are “shockingly extreme.”
The latest ad campaign builds on the group’s previous efforts to target the same lawmakers for their voting records on immigration and crime, two of the top voter issues of the 2024 cycle.
The RSLC released a list of targeted seats last year, highlighting Republican chambers at risk of being flipped by Democrats. That list also includes majorities that we must defend, majorities that we must withdraw from democratic control, and even supermajorities that may be obtainable.
The ‘Left’s Most Wanted’ campaign originally included three battleground states, with the group adding Minnesota to the list for the final round.
Republicans control 57 legislative chambers across the country, giving them a slight advantage over Democrats, who have a majority in 49 chambers. Thanks to narrow margins in a handful of states, Democrats only need to split 33 seats across five chambers to gain control of the majority of the national legislature, an honor Republicans have held since 2010.
The RSLC has largely focused on defending the Republican majority in both houses of the four states.
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The advertising campaign follows historical investments of the RSLC earlier this year to maintain control of Republican party-held legislative chambers and gain supermajorities, meaning the party has a veto-proof majority against the governor or opposing party, in the Iowa House and Senate South Carolina. Republicans already have a supermajority in the Iowa Senate and in both chambers of Florida, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio.
The RSLC’s push comes as Democratic groups have similarly announced massive investments in flipping state legislature seats to target Republican supermajorities. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced a $10 million investment earlier this year targeting similar races in presidential battleground states to defend their majorities.