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Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, pulled back the curtain on the GOP’s strategy in an interview with Axios. He credited President Trump with helping turbocharge Republican fundraising and engagement compared to the McConnell years.
“We’re working with [the White House] to identify and vet Senate candidates,” Latcham told Axios, describing Trump’s involvement as an asset “as we navigate some of these primaries.”
Trump’s active hand in the Senate game is a major factor shaping the GOP’s path forward. According to Latcham, discussions with the Trump White House are happening at a “regular cadence, whether it’s in person, over the phone.”
The super PAC isn’t waiting until next year to make its move. SLF has already begun pouring resources into battlegrounds like Georgia, North Carolina, Maine, Alaska, and Nebraska. These states are shaping up as the most fertile terrain for Republican gains, featuring vulnerable Democrat incumbents, solid Republican open seats, or GOP senators in strong positions.
But even GOP senators aren’t immune to challenges. Latcham confirmed the group plans to defend incumbents like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who faces a possible primary fight against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Early polling shows Cornyn trailing, signaling a potentially bruising intraparty brawl ahead.
While Democrats attempt to regroup, the SLF is flush with cash. Latcham revealed the group and its network ended June with a staggering $83 million on hand. The SLF itself holds $29 million of that, triple what it had in mid-2023 and five times the cash it commanded in 2021.
Latcham pointed to Thune’s work ethic as crucial for keeping the fundraising machine humming. He praised Thune for staying glued to the phones making fundraising calls “whether at home in his district or on the road stumping for his colleagues.”
Fueling Republican enthusiasm is the new Trump administration, which has injected fresh energy into GOP donors. Latcham noted a key factor driving recent fundraising success: “Obviously, you’ve got the crypto community, which is more engaged in politics writ large,” referring to Trump’s latest ventures into the cryptocurrency space through his family’s business interests.
Looking ahead, Republicans are eyeing new ways to connect with elusive younger voters. Latcham said the SLF will ramp up efforts to reach “cord-cutters”—younger Americans who have ditched traditional cable—in hopes of maximizing GOP turnout through targeted streaming and digital ads.
Much of that outreach will be tailored to energize Trump supporters who don’t reliably vote in midterm elections, making them a critical bloc for the GOP’s Senate ambitions.
Yet despite shifting strategies and new digital battlegrounds, one mission remains constant. As Latcham declared, “What will not change is that SLF will continue to be the preeminent outside group dedicated to, you know, keeping and expanding the Senate Republican majority.”
Democrats may soon discover that their path to keeping control of the Senate is more treacherous than ever. With Trump back in the White House, Thune helming the fundraising juggernaut, and the SLF brimming with cash, Republicans smell blood in the water—and they’re ready to strike.
