'Dogfight': GOP strategists warn elites risk Senate majority blowing cash on fancy dinners
Republican party leaders are risking their chances of claiming the Senate majority in 2025 by blowing cash on high salaries and fancy meals, GOP strategists warned in a new report.
The strategists, who demanded anonymity for fear of retribution, told The Washington Post on Friday that the National Republican Senatorial Committee decision-makers have paid big bucks on high salaries and luxurious dinners that could be better spent.
“We’re in the middle of a dogfight," one strategist told the Post. "Each one of these dollars could go to more television advertising or more mail or door knocking."
Some Republican operatives fear defeat in crucial states due to lack of spending, the Post reported, particularly in Wisconsin, where the committee spent $9 million; Pennsylvania, which got $8.3 million; and Arizona, which got $13 million.
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Meanwhile, committee executive director Jason Thielman's salary this year has been about $30,900 a month, according to the Post.
The committee has spent $3,915 at the sushi spot Nobu, $13,893 at the Ritz-Carlton and more than $83,000 in Nantucket for fundraisers, the Post reported.
The committee dismissed concerns as the grumblings of disgruntled consultants and argued higher salaries and pricey dinners were normal fare when courting donors, the Post reported.
But strategists also raised concerns the committee has become "obsessively focused" on defeating Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, despite having what Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) calls “the best map we’ve seen in a decade" nationwide.
Polls show Republican candidate Tim Sheehy and Tester are neck and neck — which insiders say is thanks to the big money being spent there.
“What is happening in Montana is really p---ing off a lot of people in this ecosystem,” one operative told the Post.
“They keep spending money in Montana, and to me this feels like the Montana machine making sure that we’re going to spend whatever it takes … to kill Jon Tester 15 times.”