Spending by outside groups crosses $1 billion in competitive congressional races

Outside groups have spent more than $1.2 billion on advertising across competitive congressional races, according to a Washington Post analysis of data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. Their spending accounts for more than half of all advertising in more than 70% of competitive congressional races.

In Alaska’s Senate race — the focus of Trump’s visit Tuesday — outside groups account for 80% of all spending. The biggest outside spender in the race was the Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund PAC, which has spent $14 million supporting incumbent Dan Sullivan, including $2 million in the past week alone.