Exclusive / Republican group slashes ad spending in NC Senate race

A key Republican super PAC has removed $6.5 million in ad reservations from North Carolina’s Senate race for the month of October, according to media tracker AdImpact.

That decision by the GOP-aligned Old North Action comes after Semafor reported Republicans are weighing their commitment to the race because Republican candidate Michael Whatley is trailing former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in polls. The group still has $14.5 million in reservations on the books through election day and didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP Senate super PAC, also shuffled some of its reservations, removing $900,000 in broadcast buys in the state while adding $400,000 in digital ads. The group says it’s part of a regular rebalance of ad buys to maximize viewership and is set to launch new ads in North Carolina as it spends millions a week there. SLF has roughly $23.2 million reserved in North Carolina, according to AdImpact.