"Arrogance": 3 GOP Senate candidates blasted over costly red-state rescues
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Summary
Republicans are burning tens of millions of last-minute ad dollars to try to rescue three red-state senators who they say ignored months of warnings that their campaigns were in danger. Why it matters: Senate races in Kansas, South Carolina and Mississippi are normally GOP layups. This year, Republicans have diverted resources from swing-state battles to defend them. The frustration with Sens. Roger Marshall (Kansas), Darline Graham (South Carolina) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (Mississippi) comes amid broader GOP finger-pointing as polls show a nationwide backlash against President Trump . "Democrats may win these seats in a wave ... but not a blue wave. It's the wave of arrogance [and] laziness ... that washed over these GOP incumbents and made them think they were invincible," said a national GOP operative involved in several key Senate races. By the numbers: National Republicans have spent $33 million in Kansas, $21 million in South Carolina and $2.4 million in Mississippi, according to data compiled by campaign finance expert Rob Pyers. Trump also has spent valuable campaign time in all three states. Behind the scenes: Republicans say the three senators ignored warnings to raise more money and build stronger campaign operations. National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Tim Scott warned all GOP senators in February 2025: "We do not need to spend time and money in places where races should not be competitive." Trump's political operation also warned Senate Republicans that they would need to pull their own weight. The most complaints center on Marshall, who has raised just $7.5 million compared with $19 million for his Democratic opponent, Adam Hamilton. Republicans blame his strained relationship with the banking and credit card industries — major GOP donors — and a lack of outreach to K Street. Republicans describe Marshall's campaign as overconfident. About a month ago, his team told aides to other GOP senators that the race would be effectively over within 10 days once it released opposition research on Hamilton. It wasn't. Strategists blame chief of staff Brent Robertson for Marshall's weak campaign operation. The campaign only recently tapped veteran Trump operative Chris Grant as part of a last-minute rescue effort. Alex DeGrasse, another veteran strategist recently hired to help Marshall, pointed to millions in spending by national Democrats and said the senator has made "hundreds of stops across all 105 counties in Kansas" and continues to "work hard for the people of Kansas." In Mississippi, Republicans have long viewed Hyde-Smith as a political underperformer. In 2020, she ran six points behind Trump. She has raised just $6.5 million despite warnings that Democratic megadonors, including George and Alex Soros, were preparing to spend heavily against her. Democratic groups have poured $13.7 million into the race. Republicans also fault Hyde-Smith for holding too few campaign events and underestimating her Democratic opponent, district attorney Scott Colom. Hyde-Smith's campaign did not respond to a request for comment. In South Carolina, Republicans fault Graham for failing to tap her late brother Lindsey Graham's donor network and showing little interest in soliciting contributions. In the first two weeks of October, Democrat Annie Andrews outraised Graham $4.2 million to $570,000. Graham spokesperson T.W. Arrighi said the senator "has faced unprecedented headwinds since losing her brother three months ago, and has risen to the occasion." Some Republicans are sympathetic to Graham, a political novice thrust into the Senate after her brother's death who faced a grueling primary and little time to campaign. They blame Trump for pushing her to run. Yes, but: Republicans point to Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, whose campaign required no spending from national GOP groups, as an example of an incumbent who took the political environment seriously. What they're saying: Representatives for the NRSC and the pro-GOP Senate Leadership Fund super PAC didn't respond to requests for comment. What's next: Top Republicans say the party needs to rethink how it deals with complacent incumbents in 2028 — and make clear that its campaign organizations can't be treated like a charity.
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