Backed by Murdoch and Koch, Pennsylvania Senate GOP campaigns spend over $55 million on primary ads

The Pennsylvania Senate primary on Tuesday could be one of the most expensive elections in the 2022 election cycle, with candidates and political action commissions spending more than $ 55 million on television and radio advertising. .. According to a medium purchase of an ad tracker.

According to data, the campaign of former Bridgewater Associates CEO Dave McCormick and veteran doctor Mehmet Oz spent more than $ 20 million on offensive and other ads. Honor Pennsylvania, a super PAC that supports McCormick, has spent over $ 17 million on candidates, while the pro-Os American Leadership Action PAC has invested over $ 3 million in racing. Oz, McCormick, and their associated Super PACs have raised more than $ 50 million in total, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Super PAC may accept and use an unlimited amount of money to support a single candidate or issue, unless the funds are directly controlled by the candidate.

Several On Wall Street Millionaires have donated large sums of money to help McCormick or Oz, including Ken Griffin, CEO of Chicago-based investment firm Citadel, and Nelson Peltz, co-founder of investment firm Trian Partners.

Representatives of McCormick and Oz did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication.

Despite all that money, conservative political commentator Kathy Burnett, who is running for the same Senate, has surged in recent polls to almost connect Oz and McCormick. All three are candidates for the Pennsylvania Senate seat, which was vacant due to the retirement of Republican Senator Pat Toomey.

Fox news vote Voters for the Pennsylvania Republican primary, which took place May 3-7, showed Burnett a 19% approval rate and only 3 to Oz, who is leading the investigation with 22% support. I have a point difference. Her campaign raised more than $ 1.7 million, including more than $ 180,000 in April, primarily from small donors. The campaign spent over $ 197,000 on advertising throughout the election. according to To Ad Impact, which also tracks campaign spending.

The surge by Barnette led to an external group supporting Oz and McCormick. Run An anti-burnet spot on the final day of the election, according to Medium Buying.

The series of advertisements in the last few weeks of the election has been partially funded by various business leaders and special stakeholders.

News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch donated $ 200,000 to parent McCormick Group Honor Pennsylvania in April, according to FEC records. After raising over $ 2.8 million that month, the organization began broadcasting to target Barnette. News Corp representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

News Corp owns newspapers around the world, including The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. Murdoch is also Chairman of Fox Corporation, the management company for Fox News. Sean Hannity, Network Anchor, Trump’s Allies, Supported Candidate for Oz. Laura Ingraham, a fellow conservative network host, called Trump’s support for Oz a “mistake.”

Last month, the Oz campaign received a $ 5,800 donation from Julia Koch, the widow of the late Billionaire David Koch. According to Julia Koch’s website, she is a board member of Koch Industries, a large conglomerate whose husband ran with her brother Charles Koch. Julia Kok declined to comment, but those familiar with her contribution said it was related to her long-standing friendship between Oz and his wife, Lisa.

Meanwhile, in the McCormick campaign, in the last few weeks of the election, $ 5,800 from Howard Lutnick, chairman and chief executive officer of financial advisor Cantor Fitzgerald, and CEO of investment firm Apollo Global. More Wall Street giants have seen donations, including $ 2,900 from the person, Marc Rowan. ..

Rowan and Lutonik representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Rupert Murdoch’s name.