The Senate Majority PAC raised a record $151 million in the third quarter. Despite this, Democrats still face a spending disadvantage against Republican groups. Strategist J.B. Poersch said, "We are keeping the margins more than competitive." While Democratic candidates got more funds, Republican outside groups outspent them by $400 million.
Democratic Senate candidates have generally out-raised Republicans, but are struggling to match outside spending from Trump-affiliated groups.
The top super PAC for Senate Democrats raised $151 million in the third quarter, entering October with nearly $112 million in the bank. Both are records for the group, even as Democrats are being outspent in top Senate races.
The Senate Majority PAC, which is led by close allies of Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, is one of the biggest spenders in the midterm elections. Along with an affiliated nonprofit arm, the group brought in a total of $202 million in the third quarter.
But despite the record haul, Democrats remain at a significant disadvantage when it comes to midterm spending by outside groups. The top Senate Republican super PAC is being aided by super PACs aligned with President Trump, as well as one linked to Elon Musk, the world's richest person.
Top Democratic Senate candidates have generally far out-raised their Republican rivals, an advantage that appears to reflect the party's strength in the polls. A New York Times/Siena University poll showed Democrats tied or ahead in five reliably Republican states.
But Republican super PACs and party groups have outspent their Democratic counterparts by more than $400 million in Senate races, according to Federal Election Commission data compiled by Rob Pyers, the research director of the California Target Book. Super PACs do not have any contribution limits, unlike individual candidates and political parties.
Much of the spending difference is in Texas, where national Republicans are undertaking a pricey rescue mission to save Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general running against James Talarico, a Democratic state legislator.
Mr. Talarico had out-raised his opponent by $50 million through the second quarter. But Republican groups have spent nearly $200 million so far to support Mr. Talarico.
J.B. Poersch, the Democratic strategist who heads the Senate Majority PAC, said that Trump groups booked their ads late and were paying higher rates than the Democratic candidates.
"They don't get quite as much out of their dollar as we do," he said. "We are keeping the margins more than competitive."
The leading Republican super PAC pulled its ads from North Carolina last week, signaling that Democrats are likely to flip that state. The G.O.P. group instead began spending heavily in Kansas.
The Senate Majority PAC sent a memo to Democratic donors last week, previously reported by The Times, saying that Republicans had built a financial edge "large enough to bury our many advantages under a paid media blitz."
In an interview, Mr. Poersch was more bullish on Democratic chances than the fund-raising memo, "because we have good candidates, because this is an environment that is particularly strong, because voters are looking for change," especially on the economy.