Thune to accelerate midterm campaign shutdowns as Senate Republicans strive to maintain majority

Washington- Senate Majority Leader John Thune is expected to visit several states with key Senate elections in the coming weeks as the Republican Party fights to maintain its majority in the upper chamber.

Thune will travel to North Carolina on Thursday, with stops in Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Florida, South Carolina, Ohio and two visits to Iowa, he told CBS News in an interview. He also said he would do fundraising. Politico was first to report on Thune’s travel plans.

“I told all of our candidates if it’s helpful, if I can come help in any way, I will,” Thune said in his office near the Senate. “If it’s not, I’m not going to do it, and that’s okay with me.”

The majority leader visited Georgia last week to campaign with Rep. Mike Collins, who is seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the Peach State. And he cited fundraising events he attended in New York earlier this week, as he prepares for a busier travel schedule after the Senate leaves later this week.

“If it’s a fundraising event, sometimes if it’s helpful, if it’s a media event, we’ve done both in Georgia with Mike Collins,” he said. “I said, I’ll do whatever I can to help the team, and if it stays out of the way, that’s fine with me.”

Thune has faced criticism from the party’s right flank and, at times, from President Trump, over his assessment of the House’s ability to pass the SAVE America Act, an election-related bill that the president and his allies have championed in recent months. The South Dakota Republican told reporters during the primary that his support might not be helpful to some Republican Senate candidates.

“Is it helpful or not? Probably in most cases, not in primaries,” Thune said Tuesday. “But now we are in a general election context.”

Senate Republicans had a massive war chest to cover the airwaves in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections. The Senate Leadership Fund and affiliated groups announced in August that more than $500 million had been raised to support their candidates. The fundraising efforts come as Senate Republicans attempt to defend their majority, with 53 seats in the chamber. And despite a situation that appeared favorable to the Republican Party heading into the cycle, a number of states that were not previously in play for Democrats have become increasingly competitive as the unpopular war with Iran drags on and affordability issues remain a priority for voters.

For now, Thune views Senate Republicans’ prospects as an “in-between.”

“I think we’re in a position to preserve our majority, depending on how some of these close races go. And sometimes you’re not sure, but I think we’re in as good a position as we can be because we have, these are all margin of error races, and historically we’ve outperformed the polls,” Thune said. “That’s about 35 days left. Right now it could go either way, and I just think it will depend on how we execute down the stretch.”