Senate Leadership Fund
 | |
| Abbreviation | SLF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2015 |
| Type | Independent expenditure-only political committee (Super PAC) |
| Registration no. | C00571703 |
| Location |
|
Executive Director | Alex Latcham[1] |
Treasurer | Caleb Crosby |
| Website | senateleadershipfund |
| [2][3][4][5] | |
The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF PAC) is an American Republican-aligned super PAC that works to secure and maintain Republican control of the United States Senate.[6][7] Founded in January 2015 by allies of Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, it later became the principal super PAC aligned with Republican Senate leadership.[8][9]
The Senate Leadership Fund is closely affiliated with One Nation, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that is not legally required to publicly disclose its donors.[10][11] However, as a super PAC, the SLF must disclose the individuals and organizations that donate to it directly.[12] One Nation has transferred tens of millions of dollars to SLF, allowing some of the original sources of the money ultimately spent by the super PAC to remain undisclosed.[13][14] This arrangement has been described as a form of dark money, as the original sources of funds used for political spending are not publicly disclosed.[15]
In the 2024 election cycle alone, it spent approximately $211 million in independent expenditures, which is the third highest amount among super PACs, and $296.6 million overall.[16][17] It has focused on competitive Senate elections, frequently launching advertisements opposing Democratic candidates.[18][19]
Activities
[edit]Georgia, 2020
[edit]The PAC registered Peachtree PAC in 2020 and spent over $35 million between November 6, 2020, and December 31, 2020. Peachtree spent $12,417,180.41 opposing Jon Ossoff and $12,417,180.41 opposing Raphael Warnock along with $6,505,575.64 supporting Kelly Loeffler and $6,505,575.64 supporting David Perdue.[20] A spokesperson for the PAC declined to say who was funding Peachtree.[21]
2024
[edit]| Spending ($) | Support/Oppose | Candidate | Candidate Won | Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63,683,899.22 | oppose | Sherrod Brown | No | Ohio Senator |
| 52,799,239.86 | oppose | Bob Casey Jr. | No | Pennsylvania Senator |
| 32,331,391.30 | oppose | Elissa Slotkin | Yes | Michigan Senator |
| 23,065,091.98 | oppose | Jon Tester | No | Montana Senator |
| 22,329,701.41 | oppose | Tammy Baldwin | Yes | Wisconsin Senator |
| 6,938,926.82 | support | Bernie Moreno | Yes | Ohio Senator |
| 3,187,411.00 | oppose | Dan Osborn | No | Nebraska Senator |
| 3,016,401.95 | oppose | Jacky Rosen | Yes | Nevada Senator |
| 3,012,401.95 | support | Sam Brown | No | Nevada Senator |
| 498,473.00 | support | Donald Trump | Yes | United States President |
| 230,094.39 | support | Tim Sheehy | Yes | Montana Senator |
2026 Election Cycle
[edit]Spending Plan
[edit]In April 2026, SLF unveiled a plan to spend approximately $350 million across an eight-state Senate battleground, with advertising set to begin airing in early September.[22] Alex Latcham, the organization's executive director, outlined $300 million in planned new spending across seven states that fall, comprising $271 million for television, digital, and streaming advertising, with the remainder directed toward mail and get-out-the-vote operations. A separate $42 million commitment for Maine had been announced in January.[22]
Of the total allocation, $236 million was directed toward defending five Republican-held seats, with the remaining $106 million targeting three Democratic-held seats.[22] Politico and Punchbowl News both characterized the scale of the reservations as evidence of a defensive posture for Senate Republicans heading into the midterms.[23][24]
State Allocations
[edit]The largest single commitment was $79 million designated for Ohio, where Republican Senator Jon Husted faces a challenge from former Senator Sherrod Brown, who lost his 2024 re-election bid.[22][25]
North Carolina received the second-largest allocation at $71 million, supporting former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley against former Governor Roy Cooper in the race for the state's open seat. [22][26]
SLF committed $45 million to Michigan's open Senate seat in support of Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former U.S. Representative.[22][27] In Georgia, the organization allocated $44 million toward defeating incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.[22][28]
In Iowa, SLF designated $29 million for the state's open Senate race.[22][29] The organization allocated $17 million to New Hampshire, where party leaders were backing former Senator John E. Sununu in the Republican primary against former Senator Scott Brown.[22][30] In Alaska, SLF committed $15 million to defend incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan against former Representative Mary Peltola, noting that outside spending against Peltola in 2024 had contributed to her loss by a wide margin.[22]
Donors over $1 million (January 2023 - December 2024)
[edit]Source:[2]
- $35.58 from One Nation (United States)
- $30 million from Kenneth C. Griffin
- $27 million from Paul Singer (businessman)
- $15 million from Miriam Adelson
- $10 million from Elon Musk
- $10 million between Pat Ryan (executive) and Shirley Ryan
- $9 million between J. Christopher Reyes and Jude Reyes
- $9 million from Stephen A. Schwarzman
- $6 million between Charles R. Schwab and Hellen O. Schwab
- $5.5 million from Warren Stephens
- $4.5 from Chevron Corporation
- $4 million from Occidental Petroleum Corp
- $3.875 from Altria
- $3.5 million from the American Petroleum Institute
- 2.5 million between Koch, Inc. and Koch Industries Inc.
- $2 million from Kenneth Fisher
- $2 million from Rupert Murdoch
- $2 million from Jim Walton
- $2 million from Rob Walton
- $1.75 million from Jim Davis (businessman)
- $1.75 million from Marc Rowan
- $1.1 million from Trevor Rees-Jones
- $1 million from The Anschutz Corporation
- $1 million from Ron Cameron (businessman)
- $1 million from Ken Langone
- $1 million from Elizabeth Uihlein
- $1 million from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- $1 million from Jeff Yass
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Kight, Stef. "Alex Latcham joins Cory Gardner to run Senate Leadership Fund". Axios.
- 1 2 3 "SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND - committee overview". FEC.gov.
- ↑ "About". Senate Leadership Fund.
- ↑ "Senate Leadership Fund Profile: Summary". OpenSecrets.
- ↑ "PAC Profile: Senate Leadership Fund". OpenSecrets.
- ↑ FactCheck.org (2026-08-07). "Senate Leadership Fund". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Kight, Stef W. (2026-08-11). "Scoop: Senate GOP super PAC doubles down on Michigan". Axios. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Roarty, Alex; Journal, National (2015-09-01). "Senate Republicans' Brewing Super PAC Fight". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Senate Leadership Fund". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ FactCheck.org (2026-08-07). "Senate Leadership Fund". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Dark Money Hit a Record High of $1.9 Billion in 2024 Federal Races | Brennan Center for Justice". www.brennancenter.org. 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Recording nonconnected PAC receipts". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/Dark%20Money%20Issue%20Brief.pdf
- ↑ https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/CLC%20Statement%20on%20Laws%20and%20Enforcement%20Governing%20the%20Political%20Activities%20of%20Tax%20Exempt%20Entities%205-4-22.pdf
- ↑ https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Disclosure%20Report%203.23_1030.pdf?
- ↑ "SLF PAC - committee overview". FEC.gov. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ FactCheck.org (2026-08-07). "Senate Leadership Fund". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Bauer, Scott (2024-10-14). "Republicans pour money into Wisconsin Senate race Democrats say will be close". AP News. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Whittle, Patrick; Kruesi, Kimberlee (2026-07-25). "Maine Democratic delegates choose Troy Jackson as new nominee to face US Sen. Susan Collins". AP News. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "PEACHTREE PAC - committee overview". FEC.gov.
- ↑ SLODYSKO, BRIAN (8 December 2020). "Source of money behind GOP's new Georgia super PAC a mystery". AP News.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Goldmacher, Shane (April 6, 2026). "Republicans Unveil a $342 Million Battle Plan to Keep the Senate". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Republican super PAC's multi-hundred-million dollar ad buy shows a Senate GOP on defense". Politico. April 6, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "SLF's massive fall plans". Punchbowl News. April 6, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Senate GOP's super PAC makes Ohio its top spending priority in 2026". Cleveland.com. April 6, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Senate Leadership Fund pledges $71 million for Whatley against Cooper in NC". WRAL. April 6, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Republican group to spend $45M to help Rogers win Michigan Senate race". Detroit News. April 6, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "GOP super PAC commits record $44M to oust Ossoff in Georgia". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. April 6, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "National Republicans to spend $29 million in Iowa's open Senate race". Des Moines Register. April 6, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Top GOP super PAC promises to pump money into NH US Senate race if Sununu is nominee". WMUR. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
