Conservative nonprofit groups plan to spend about $ 30 million by the end of the month defending Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation before the United States Supreme Court, according to people familiar with the activities.
The money has funded an avalanche of publicity and grassroots activities, mostly in battle states, that are saturating television screens, social media, Senate offices, and highway stops in the weeks leading up to the 3 elections. of November.
The goal is to secure Barrett’s Senate confirmation in the superior court, which could happen as early as Monday, after a committee vote scheduled for Thursday. But with Democrats all but powerless to block a vote, conservative groups have tried to make Barrett a political asset to President Donald Trump, who follows Democratic rival Joe Biden both domestically and in swing states.
Spending by conservative groups could have the side effect of helping Trump’s campaign, which has lagged far behind Biden’s in fundraising. The former vice president’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee reported having around $ 177 million available as of early October, nearly three times more than the incumbent president’s reelection effort.
The election has been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic and the response from Trump, whose polls show voters are poorly rated. But Republicans have used the nomination fight to encourage conservatives who may distrust Trump, especially Roman Catholics and conservative evangelicals, by accusing Democrats of bigotry by focusing on the religious beliefs of Barrett, a devout Catholic.
Judicial Crisis Network is spending $ 10 million on a television and digital ad campaign supporting Barrett, the people said. An ad posted last week shows Barrett speaking during his confirmation hearing about “some of the cartoons floating around” about his religious views. Another from Sept. 29 says “liberal Democrats and extremists” attacked Barrett’s faith.
Democratic senators mostly avoided questions about Barrett’s faith during confirmation hearings and instead focused on whether she would overturn Obamacare or the landmark Roe v. Abortion rights ruling. Democrats have used the prospect of those results to rally their staunch supporters before the election.
More than 100 paid field employees from the conservative group Heritage Action for America have run phone banks, knocked on doors and sent mail and text messages to people in North Carolina, Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, according to the people. The group expects to spend $ 3.8 million by Election Day and aims to reach 2.5 million voters.
Anti-abortion rights groups, such as Concerned Women for America and Susan B. Anthony List, have organized events in 10 states that are presidential battlegrounds or have key Senate careers. The anti-tax group Club for Growth is spending $ 5 million on advertising and sending pro-Barrett letters to senators. America First Policies, the nonprofit arm of the pro-Trump America First Action super-political action committee, is pouring another $ 5 million into advertising and direct mail backing Barrett.
People affiliated with the groups argue that the efforts have helped shape public opinion around the nomination, allowing Republican candidates to use it as a weapon against their Democratic opponents.
A New York Times / Siena College Research Institute poll conducted last week showed that 47% of likely voters said the Senate should vote on Barrett’s nomination before the election, compared with 39% who said only a vote should be taken if Trump wins a second term. Nearly six in 10 said they opposed increasing the size of the Supreme Court in response to Barrett’s confirmation, an idea supported by some on the left but not embraced by Biden, while just over three in 10 said that more judges should be added to the bench.
Liberal groups have also spent millions of dollars opposing Barrett’s nomination.
Following the death last month of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Demand Justice vowed to spend $ 10 million opposing the confirmation of any Trump candidate before the election. He also launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign against Barrett’s confirmation in Iowa, Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina.
Those venues attacked Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for pushing Barrett’s Senate nomination ahead of the election, with the pandemic still rampant. The American Bridge of the Democratic super-PAC also launched an opposition research “hub” containing information on Barrett’s court history.
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