SCOTUS ruling major setback to 2026 Dems, could wipe out Platner and Talaricos midterm edge

WASHINGTON — GOP contenders who were lagging behind their Democratic rivals in campaign fundraising are poised to see a cash infusion thanks to a Supreme Court ruling Tuesday that will allow Republicans to buy up airspace at discounted rates in the lead-up to the 2026 midterms.The Supreme Court’s decision allowing coordinated spending between political parties and candidates delivered a blow to Democrats, members of both parties agreed, as the GOP’s best outcome would be flipping three Senate seats and winning more than a dozen House seats to increase control of Congress.“The Supreme Court’s decision is a major setback for the Democrats’ viral fundraisers in states like Texas and Maine,” Sean Cooksey, managing director at BGR Group and former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, told The Post.“What would have been a significant financial advantage over their Republican opponents will be neutralized by the RNC’s war chest and its new ability to coordinate ads with candidates,” added Cooksey, who most recently served as counsel to Vice President JD Vance.Senate Republicans are hoping to regain control of Michigan, New Hampshire and Georgia, while retaining seats in Iowa, Alaska, Ohio, North Carolina and Maine.The House GOP’s main campaign arm is also eyeing around three dozen vulnerable Dem seats.“The map is much smaller this go around than it has been in past midterms,” a Republican National Committee official said.

“That makes our money go a lot further than it has in past midterms.”The Republican National Committee already boasts a whopping $125 million campaign war chest, compared with the Democratic National Committee’s more than $14 million — on top of another $18 million in debt.And the high court’s ruling will let the RNC, in addition to the GOP’s top two congressional campaign committees, make good use of that cash on hand for campaign advertising in contests where Democrats had been betting on candidates with la...