Donald Trump campaign buttons are displayed before Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rally at the Westgate Hotel, Monday, Dec. 14, 2015. Republican presidential candidates campaigned in Las Vegas ahead of the CNN presidential debate at the Venetian.
Friday, July 1, 2016 | 2 a.m.
The primary election is barely in the rearview mirror, yet outside groups are already ramping up spending in Nevada with their sights on November's general election.
The groups — a mixture of super PACs and nonprofit “dark money” outfits that don’t have to disclose their donors — have started carving out sizable chunks of airtime.
The official campaign arms on both the Republican and Democratic sides for the House and the Senate are doing so, too:
• Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: $6.6 million
• Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: $4 million
• National Republican Congressional Committee: $6.4 million
• National Republican Senatorial Committee: $6.3 million
In total, the groups have staked their claims to more than $50 million of airtime over the next five months.
The battles in Nevada are expected to be among the fiercest in the nation: Republican Rep. Joe Heck and Democratic former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto are battling to replace U.S. Sen. Harry Reid when he retires at the end of his term. The state has two competitive Congressional races. And, to top it off, Nevada is a battleground state for the presidential showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
While some of the outside-money organizations have relatively straightforward names — like ones that have “Republican” or “Democrat” in their titles — others can be a bit harder to parse. Here's a look at a handful of the more inscrutable organizations that have been buying up Nevada’s airwaves:
Freedom Partners Action Fund
Stance: Pro-Heck/Anti-Cortez Masto
Type: A super PAC, which must disclose its donors
Affiliation: Part of the extensive Charles and David Koch donor network, which focuses on conservative issues. The billionaire brothers have indicated that they don’t plan to help Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump with his campaign, instead focusing on key Senate races, like the one in Nevada.
Buys so far: The super PAC recently launched a three-week, $1.2 million TV and digital ad campaign, criticizing Cortez Masto’s handling of Uber as the state’s attorney general. Cortez Masto’s campaign defended her actions with regard to the ride-hailing company, saying she was just doing her job enforcing the state’s transportation laws. The group also spent $1 million on TV and digital ads in May attacking Cortez Masto. Online records from the Federal Communications Commission show that the organization has made ad reservations in Nevada from this summer through at least the early fall. In total, the Koch political network plans to spend more than $42 million on ads in key Senate races through the end of September, according to the Washington Post.
Priorities USA Action
Stance: Pro-Clinton/Anti-Trump
Type: A super PAC, which must disclose its donors
Affiliation: It is the largest Democratic super PAC in the country and played a significant role in helping re-elect Barack Obama in 2012. Its top operatives are Guy Cecil, the former head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and a top official in Clinton’s 2008 campaign; Obama’s 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina, and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Buys so far: The group has reserved nearly $10 million in television and radio airtime in Nevada ahead of the November election. Since mid-May, it has been airing several anti-Trump ads across Nevada and other battleground states, including one that features a disabled Las Vegas teen criticizing Trump for apparently mimicking the movements of a New York Times reporter with a disability.
One Nation
Stance: Pro-Heck/Anti-Cortez Masto
Type: A nonprofit “dark money” group, which does not have to disclose its donors
Affiliation: One Nation has ties to American Crossroads, a super PAC backed by Karl Rove, who was a senior adviser and deputy chief of staff under President George W. Bush’s administration.
Buys so far: The group recently launched a monthlong, $2.3 million ad buy focusing on veterans issues and touting Heck’s record. It also spent $792,000 last fall on television, digital and radio ads supporting Heck.
National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund
Stance: Pro-Trump/Anti-Clinton
Type: A super PAC, which must disclose its donors
Affiliation: It’s the political arm of the National Rifle Association, a nonprofit organization that advocates for gun rights.
Buys so far: The super PAC announced a $2 million, seven-state television ad buy this week, including $100,000 in the Reno market. It is the organization’s first ad of the presidential election cycle and features a Marine corps veteran criticizing Clinton’s response to the 2012 Benghazi attacks during her time as secretary of state. Separately, the NRA is funding an effort to oppose an initiative to expand background checks on gun sales and transfers that will appear on the November ballot in Nevada.
Senate Majority PAC
Stance: Pro-Cortez Masto/Anti-Heck
Type: A super PAC, which must disclose its donors
Affiliation: The Democratic super PAC has ties to U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and is the top outside group focusing on helping Democrats retake a majority in the U.S. Senate.
Buys so far: The group has reserved $8.5 million of airtime in Nevada ahead of the November election. It also recently announced a $900,000 broadcast and cable buy in both Las Vegas and Reno, drawing connections between Heck and Wall Street.
Senate Leadership Fund
Stance: Pro-Heck/Anti-Cortez Masto
Type: A super PAC, which must disclose its donors
Affiliation: It's the top GOP Senate super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. It is run by McConnell’s former chief of staff Steven Law.
Buys so far: The group recently announced it has reserved $6 million in airtime in Nevada ahead of the November election.
House Majority PAC
Stance: Pro-Democrat Congressional candidates/Anti-Republican ones
Type: A super PAC, which must disclose its donors
Affiliation: It’s the Democrats’ main House super PAC.
Buys so far: The group has reserved $3 million of airtime in Las Vegas ahead of the November election.
Empower Nevada
Stance: Pro-Danny Tarkanian/Anti-Jacky Rosen
Type: A super PAC, which must disclose its donors
Affiliation: State Treasurer Dan Schwartz is chairing the super PAC.
Buys so far: No ad reservations have been posted online through the Federal Communications Commission’s website.
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