The race to win control of the U.S. Senate in November will be very expensive.

Little more than two months after reporting the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  was planning to spend $79 million on TV, radio, and digital advertising in nine states, Politico on Thursday said the National Republican Senatorial Committee is planning to spend more than $100 million on advertising.

The outlet reported the NRSC will begin placing reservations for “multimillion dollar” investments for TV and digital on Thursday in Ohio, Nevada, Michigan, and Arizona.

The NRSC plans to rely on wealthy candidates — i.e., Eric Hovde in Wisconsin, Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, Bernie Moreno in Ohio, and Tim Sheehy in Montana — to self-fund and attract big donors while exploiting President Joe Biden’s unpopularity to save money in key battleground states, Politico reported.

Independent GOP expenditures, allied super PACs, will be used to complement those efforts.

The NRSC plans joint TV ad buys with candidates, a tactic that would mean paying the cheaper rate offered only to official campaigns. Campaign finance law allows hybrid ads that support the candidates and the political parties.

The NRSC already has begun running hybrid ads in Montana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Nevada and Arizona. Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin will be added soon.

“Joe Biden’s extreme unpopularity has given us a chance to build a lasting Senate Majority,” NRSC Executive Director Jason Thielman said, Politico reported. “Now it is incumbent on our candidates to execute.”

The news of the NRSC’s ad spending comes a week after former President Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, returned to Washington and met with GOP members of Congress.

The Senate Republican campaign arm will be taking on several wealthy Democrat incumbents who have proven to be formidable fundraisers.

Senate Democrats’ campaign arm also is using coordinated spending with candidates as part of its strategy.

Democrats currently hold a 51-49 edge in the Senate, with 33 seats (19 Democrats, 10 Republicans, 4 independents) up for election this year.  

With the GOP seemingly guaranteed to pick up a gain in red West Virginia, where Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is retiring, one more next gain would give Republicans the chamber majority. West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice is expected to win Manchin’s seat.

Republicans lost control of the Senate in 2020 and failed to recapture it in 2022.

AFP contributed to this story.

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