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The group, Right for America, has raised tens of millions of dollars but waited until the fall rush to air any advertising.
Theodore Schleifer
A super PAC started by supporters of Donald J. Trump is launching what is expected to be a $60 million advertising campaign to boost the former president’s campaign right after Labor Day.
The media buy is the latest addition to an already busy and costly advertising season that is set to see over a half-billion dollars spent to shape voters’ final impressions of Vice President Kamala Harris and Mr. Trump. It comes from a super PAC called Right for America, which has raised tens of millions of dollars but waited until the fall rush to air any advertising.
Some Republicans have been surprised that the group, which had $38 million on hand as of June 30, had not spent its money earlier. But that may have prudent: Some Republican groups spent early money attacking President Biden who is no longer in the race.
“For the past four months we have worked hard to raise close to $60 million,” said Sergio Gor, who runs the group and is a friend of the Trump family. “We have now started spending in the key swing states and will do everything we can to ensure President Donald Trump is returned to the White House.”
Many of Right for America’s biggest donors are members of Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s club in Florida. The group’s main funders have been Ike Perlmutter, the longtime chair of Marvel Entertainment, and his wife, Laura, who have put at least $20 million into the super PAC. Right for America has received fund-raising help from Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has headlined finance events for the group in Monterey, Beverly Hills, Seattle and at the Republican National Convention.
The group is planning to spend predominantly on cable and network television, with the remainder on digital and radio advertising, plus a few small contributions to other outside groups. One new ad, called “Laughing Matter,” takes aim at Ms. Harris’s record on the border, calling her “dangerously liberal.”
Mr. Trump could use more television help to stay competitive, although a collection of well-funded super PACs are planning to attack Ms. Harris over the final stretch of the campaign. One group, MAGA Inc., has received more than $100 million this cycle from businessman Timothy Mellon, an heir to the Mellon banking fortune, and has $56 million in television ads booked through Election Day. Another, Preserve America, is expected to take in more than $100 million from Miriam Adelson, a conservative megadonor, but has not made most of its fall reservations yet, with only $7 million booked through November.
Democrats, on the whole, have $315 million reserved for television and radio over the final 10 weeks of the campaign, compared to $140 million reserved by Republicans, according to AdImpact.
Theodore Schleifer writes about campaign finance and the influence of billionaires in American politics. More about Theodore Schleifer
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