Top Republican super PACs affiliated with former President Donald Trump and congressional GOP leadership have withdrawn financial support from two incumbent House Republicans seeking re-election, according to individuals familiar with the plans. The decision marks the first time this election cycle that national Republican groups have pulled back funding from sitting members as the party attempts to prevent larger losses in the upcoming midterm elections.
Officials with the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a super PAC aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Trump-affiliated groups decided over the weekend to cancel all remaining advertising spending for Representative Thomas H. Kean Jr. of New Jersey and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa after internal polling showed declining chances of their re-election. These moves follow a recent withdrawal of resources from the open Nebraska seat formerly held by Representative Don Bacon, who is retiring, effectively conceding three GOP-held districts.
The Republican Party currently maintains a slim three-seat majority in the House following the 2024 elections. Since then, the party has engaged in significant redistricting efforts to protect its hold on power for the 2026 cycle. As part of their current strategic realignment, the Republican groups are also discontinuing funding aimed at challenging two Democratic incumbents: Representatives Greg Landsman of Ohio and Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan. Party officials indicated that additional seats might be abandoned in the near future.
In reallocating resources, the Congressional Leadership Fund is shifting about $10 million from districts in Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio to bolster efforts in 16 other competitive districts. Among Republicans gaining new financial backing are Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Rob Wittman of Virginia, and Bill Huizenga of Michigan. Some of these incumbents had not previously received significant CLF support this cycle.
Kean, who is the son of a former New Jersey governor, had been notably absent from Congress earlier this year before disclosing he was hospitalized for depression. He is facing a strong Democratic challenger, Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot. Despite the withdrawal of support, the leadership fund has spent over $2 million targeting Bennett’s campaign in October alone.
Miller-Meeks has previously won narrowly contested elections, including a famously close six-vote victory in 2020. The Iowa race, one of the most expensive in the country with spending exceeding $36 million from both parties, has seen significant investment from the Congressional Leadership Fund and affiliated groups. Some of the funds being pulled from Miller-Meeks’s race are expected to be redirected to other competitive districts within Iowa.
On the Democratic side, the decision to abandon funding against McDonald Rivet was less surprising. Her district in Michigan is among a few nationally that supported both a Democratic representative and Donald Trump in 2024. Although Republicans fielded a primary winner, Tom Smith, who had defeated Trump’s preferred candidate, he suspended his campaign, leading to reduced party investment despite prior spending of roughly $2 million.
Republican groups aligned with Trump have also reserved more than $6 million in advertising for Iowa, New Jersey, and Ohio districts. Meanwhile, CLF officials declined to specify the amount designated for the newly targeted seats. Outside the districts losing support, funds are being added to competitive contests in California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and South Carolina.
The reallocation strategy reflects a broader effort by Republican super PACs to concentrate resources where they see the best opportunities to maintain or expand their majority, underscoring both the challenges and recalibrations the party faces ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.