What They Are Saying: CLF Is The Difference Maker That Delivered House Wins

House Republicans trounced expectations on Election Night. CLF was proud to play a major role in those efforts to win House seats, with our work becoming “the difference maker” in close races, “taking a huge role in Republican campaigns” and leaving our mark as “the biggest spender on advertising.”

Here’s what media and pundits are saying about CLF’s winning record this cycle that helped House Republicans defy the odds:

“The biggest spender on advertising, often investing more than the GOP candidate” themselves.

WSJ: “The Congressional Leadership Fund, the House GOP super PAC, was the biggest spender in several races where Republican candidates emerged from primaries with little cash, according to data on political buying viewed by The Wall Street Journal. In several of the races that Associated Press has called so far, CLF was the biggest spender on advertising, often investing more than the GOP candidate. Candidates get better rates on television that outside groups, so their dollars go further.” (Natalie Andrews, WSJ, 11/7/20)

SLUDGE: “In several elections where Democratic seats got flipped by Republicans, CLF was the top outside spending group, in some cases outspending the candidates’ campaigns. In Torres Small’s race, CLF spent over $4.74 million; in Horn’s, it spent over $4.75 million; in Cunningham’s, almost $4.3 million; and in Finkenauer’s, over $3.7 million. In Rose’s reelection race, CLF spent over $5.4 million, second to the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC, with over $7.7 million.” (David Moore, SLUDGE, 11/4/20)

“The difference-maker in close races”

Washington Post: “Republicans are touting their decision to keep up a traditional canvassing and door-knocking operation as the difference-maker in close races that whittled down House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s majority. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC allied with House GOP leadership, argued in a memo to donors this week that its ad spending helped beat back a “green wave” of Democratic donations, and that its ground game pulled candidates over the line.” (Dave Weigel, Washington Post, (11/7/20)

“One of the big winners of this election cycle”

POLITICO Playbook: “Speaking of the House… One of the big winners of this election cycle is CLF — the House GOP super PAC, which played a key role in several big races. DAN CONSTON, the group’s president, has a new memo out to donors, laying out how CLF — which spent $140 million — keyed in the GOP’s surprising gains.” (Anna Palmer & Jake Sherman, POLITICO, 11/9/2020)

“Most locally appropriate House race ads of the cycle”

Cook Political: “It was a tough call, but I’m giving the award for most locally appropriate House race ads of the cycle to Staten Island’s #NY11 – including this one from @CLFSuperPAC
& top GOP ad maker @andysere.” (David Wasserman, Cook Political Report, 11/2/20)

“Credit should be given…for continuing to invest on offense when other consultants wrote races off.”

Cook Political Report: “But credit should be given to the NRCC, led by chair Tom Emmer and executive director Parker Hamilton Poling, as well as the Congressional Leadership Fund led by executive director Dan Conston, for continuing to invest on offense when other consultants wrote races off.” (David Wasserman, Cook Political Report, 11/4/20)

“Broke all its fundraising records,” “erasing Democratic ad advantages”

Washington Post: “The situation was more lopsided toward Republicans in 2020, and the PAC’s $160 million war chest gave Republicans some more help on the ground while erasing Democratic ad advantages in places like Oklahoma’s 5th District and Texas’s 22nd District, places where Republican nominees survived primaries with little cash on hand.” (Dave Weigel, Washington Post, 11/7/2020)

Washington Post: “Democrats’ grass-roots enthusiasm was undisputed in this election. Individual candidates such as Torres Small in New Mexico raised millions of dollars to stay elected, seriously outraising their Republican opponents. But Republican super PACs were able to counter that by raising and pouring even more money into races to help struggling Republican House and Senate candidates. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which plays in House races, broke all of its fundraising records to become one of the biggest spenders in the field in 2020.” (Amber Phillips, Washington Post, 11/4/20)

“helped House Republicans survive the ‘green wave’”

Roll Call:“How a super PAC helped House Republicans survive the ‘green wave:’Unlike in 2018, this year’s “green wave” of Democratic money didn’t produce a “blue wave” of victories, thanks in part to a super PAC that helped Republicans close the spending gap. Congressional Leadership Fund, a group aligned with House GOP leadership, spent more than $140 million, a record for the most money a House-focused super PAC has spent in an election cycle and narrowly outspending its Democratic counterpart, House Majority PAC. In some races, CLF carried the bulk of the GOP’s ad spending.” (Bridget Bowman, Roll Call, 11/11/20)

Taking “a huge role in Republican campaigns”

POLTICO: “Democratic candidates have spent at least twice as much as Republican candidates on TV in nearly four dozen districts, according to data from Advertising Analytics, a media tracking firm. The discrepancy has forced outside groups to take on a huge role in Republican campaigns… Congressional Leadership Fund, House Republicans’ main outside group, has borne the brunt of this work and will have spent at least $140 million by the end of the cycle.” (Ally Mutnick, POLITICO, 10/26/20)

“Moving beyond their more traditional role of airing attack ads”

Roll Call: “Outside Republican groups, including the Congressional Leadership Fund, also stepped in to help bridge the gap, moving beyond their more traditional role of airing attack ads. CLF spent nearly $6.4 million in Texas’ 22nd District, where Republican Troy Nehls defeated Democrat Sri Kulkarni, airing the bulk of GOP ads in the race and operating a field and absentee ballot chase program.” (Bridget Bowman, Stephanie Akin, and Kate Ackley, Roll Call, 11/4/20)

New York Times: “Some Republican candidates, including Ms. Tenney, were out-raised so handily that outside groups, like the Congressional Leadership Fund, a House Republican super PAC, have been forced to step in to carry out campaign fundamentals like advertising and phone calls, as well as get-out-the-vote programs. Ms. Tenney is among a group of Republican candidates this cycle who have run almost no ads themselves, leaving the super PAC to carry their entire television campaign.” (Emily Cochrane and Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 9/27/20)

WSJ: “Many Democratic candidates outpaced their opponents in early fundraising, allowing them to advertise early. Outside Republican groups like the Congressional Leadership Fund—the House GOP super PAC—had to spend in tight races in Oklahoma, New York and Utah to introduce candidates who started their campaigns with little cash.” ( Kristina Peterson and Natalie Andrews, WSJ, 9/4/2020)

“Invested $5 million in a ballot chase program to get mail-in ballots from low-propensity Republican voters”

POLITICO Playbook: “PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S decision to dump on absentee and mail-in balloting for months may come to be known as one of the worst strategic decisions in presidential campaign history. CLF, the House GOP super PAC, invested $5 million in a ballot chase program to get mail-in ballots from low-propensity Republican voters. TRUMP just decided to malign mail-in and absentee. — @jaketapper on his stance toward absentee/mail-in ballots: “It was idiotic. You want to make it easier for your voters to turn out, not harder.” (Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, POLITICO, 11/7/20)

“Its ground game pulled candidates over the line”

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