I spoke to Mike Warren for his CNN piece with Dan Merica and Gabby Orr on the campaign cash crunch for Peter Thiel’s senate picks and how it impacts national GOP resource allocation.
Thiel’s $15 million super PAC investments helped boost Ohio’s J.D. Vance and Arizona’s Blake Mastersin their competitive primaries earlier this year, with the California billionaire even influencing former President Donald Trump‘s decision to endorse both candidates.
But since the two candidates won their respective nominations, Thiel has not stepped up with additional investments as Vance and Masters have struggled to raise money on their own — while both have been massively outraised by their Democratic rivals. The disparity has prompted Republican observers to question why Thiel has so far refused to help his chosen candidates in the general election through a big donation to a super PAC.
“This is a Thiel problem that has a Thiel solution,” said Liam Donovan, a Republican lobbyist and strategist. “Anybody that emerged from these primaries with 30% was going to need help. The difference here is there’s a patron that has the capacity to help.”
Read the full piece here.