Chuck Schumer-linked group trails GOP counterpart by massive gap

Senate Majority PAC (SMP), an outside spending group affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, entered 2026 with a massive fundraising disadvantage compared to its GOP rival.

SMP and its associated nonprofit groups reported raising $108 million in 2025, Punchbowl News first reported Thursday. The fundraising haul is $72 million less than the record-breaking $180 million raised by the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a super PAC closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and the fund’s affiliated groups in the same time span.

The Thune-aligned fundraising powerhouse also ended 2025 with $100 million in the bank — roughly $25 million more than the SMP’s reported $75 million on hand.

Though the GOP group’s cash advantage could narrow ahead of November’s midterm elections, the fundraising data points indicate Republicans are raising serious money that could help fend off Democrats’ longshot bid of retaking Senate control.

“This is a testament to the strong leadership of John Thune and the incredible results that Senate Republicans are delivering for working families across the country,” SLF communications director Chris Gustafson said in a statement. “We will take absolutely nothing for granted as we work to protect and expand the Republican majority this year and ensure that Chuck Schumer remains in the minority where he belongs.”

Senate Republicans currently hold a 53-47 seat majority, meaning Democrats would have to flip four GOP-held seats while successfully defending every seat represented by Democrats to win back Senate control.

SLF is eying pick-up opportunities in Georgia and Michigan, which both voted for President Donald Trump in 2024. Republicans also see Democratic-held seats in New Hampshire and Minnesota in play following former Republican Sen. John Sununu and ex-NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya entering both Senate contests respectively.

Democrats view their road back to power hinging on GOP-held seats in North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Alaska.

The Thune-aligned group has invested early in several battleground states to thwart Schumer’s midterm ambitions.

The SLF announced a massive $42 million investment in Maine earlier in January to shore up Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is widely viewed as the most vulnerable GOP incumbent running in November’s midterm elections. The spending will be geared toward TV and digital ads in addition to get-out-the-vote efforts during the final three months of the campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Collins, the only Senate Republican whose state former Vice President Kamala Harris carried in November 2024, has yet to officially launch her campaign for a sixth Senate term. Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Bernie Sanders-backed oyster farmer Graham Platner are vying to challenge Collins in the general election. Trump, who has frequently criticized Collins, said the Maine Republican and four other GOP senators should lose reelection after the group voted to rein in his war powers against Venezuela in January.

The SLF has also poured money into the Texas Senate race on behalf of Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who is engaged in a bruising three-way fight ahead of the fast-approaching March 3 primary. Thune, who is supporting Cornyn, told the DCNF in early January that President Donald Trump is unlikely to endorse in the contest.

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