Trump Makes First Ad Buys in Midterms

A PAC supported by former President Donald J. Trump has officially entered the 2022 midterm election ad market in support of Republican Senate candidates in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to Politico.

Per the D.C.-area paper, MAGA Inc., has purchased more than a quarter of a million dollars in ads in Columbus and Cleveland. AdImpact, which provided the numbers for Politico, also noted that the PAC has bought $135,650 worth of ads placed in Pittsburgh.

During each state’s GOP primary, Trump endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and JD Vance in Ohio. Both political outsiders won their contest and are now battling Democratic opponents in the general election.

In Pennsylvania, several polls show that Democratic candidate Lt. Governor John Fetterman’s lead over Oz is narrowing. Emerson Polling revealed that Fetterman had a five-point lead in June, but that has since shrunk to just two points.

In September, Trump blasted Fetterman as “a spoiled and entitled socialist loser who leeched off his parents’ money — you know he lives on his parents’ money — until he was 49 years old.”

The lieutenant governor — who bills himself as a progressive friend of the working class — survived his 13-year tenure as mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, thanks to his parents’ money. Fetterman, 53, was elected in 2006 and left the position in 2019 after being elected to his current position. In 2015 alone, his parents gave him $54,000, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. As mayor, Fetterman received a $1,800 salary. For his part, Fetterman has stated that his family’s generosity allowed him to serve the public.

In the Buckeye State, FiveThirtyEight reports that Vance is trailing Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH) by two points, per a polling average.

Ryan has also been fundraising in recent weeks. The congressman used the House of Representatives’ lax proxy voting rules regarding COVID, yet traveled all the way to Hollywood for ritzy campaign events.

“Tim Ryan claimed he skipped work today ‘due to the ongoing public health emergency,’” GOP Senate candidate JD Vance’s Press Secretary Luke Schroeder tweeted in response Wednesday. “He’s actually headed to California to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from Hollywood elites.”

MAGA Inc., reportedly has $100 million in the bank, and some critics have accused the former president of not spending it wisely.

An anonymous official shot down that idea and told Politico, “We don’t telegraph ad spends or our strategy.”

Related: Former Pennsylvania Governor Who Backed Biden Now Endorses Dr. Oz