House Republicans prepare ad blitz to lock in Florida and Virginia redistricting wins
House Republicans are looking to capitalize on recent redistricting developmentsin Florida and Virginia, with a GOP super PAC announcing it plans to spend millions more in those states this fall.
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The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and GOP leadership, is adding $22 million to its initial fallad buys in the two states, according to an announcement shared first with NBC News.
The bulk of the new reservations — nearly $19 million — will go into Florida, while an additional $3.1 million will be spent in the Norfolk, Virginia, media market, according to theannouncement. Republicans recently notched redistricting wins in both states: Florida Republicans redrew the state’s congressional boundaries in hope of picking up as many as four seats, while the Virginia Supreme Court blocked a Democratic redraw that had been approved by voters.
“This additional $22 million investment underscores CLF’s strength heading into the fall. CLF remains well-resourced with battle-tested incumbents, high-quality candidates, and favorable terrain,” Chris Winkelman, the super PAC’s president, said in a statement that called Democrats “overextended” and “locked in brutal primary battles.”
Republicans, spurred on by President Donald Trump, have been working to redraw congressional maps in multiple states to boost their party as they defend their narrow House majority in November.
Democrats, who need to net at least three seats to take control of the House, responded by working to redraw lines in California and Virginia. Democrats spent millions to pass a state constitutional amendment that would have allowed the Virginia Legislature to bypass the state’s redistricting commission and give Democrats an edge. But the state Supreme Court blocked the new map from taking effect because of procedural issues.
CLF’s additional investment in Norfolk ups its spending to $5.6 million in that media market. While the super PAC did not saywhich districts it was targeting, the Norfolk market touches three competitive House districts, according to calculations by The Downballot, a left-leaning political site.
They include two Virginia districts, where GOP Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans are running for re-election, and North Carolina’s 1st District, where Republicans are trying to defeat Democratic Rep. Don Davis.
In Florida, Republicans are going on offense after the GOP-controlled Legislature approved a new map that created four additional Republican-leaning House districts.
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CLF said its reservations in Florida are all aimed at districts Republicans are trying to flip. The new ad buys include a $9.9 million investment in the Miami media market, $6.5 million in Tampa and $2.6 million in West Palm Beach.
Democrats are defending three districts near those cities. Rep. Kathy Castor is running for re-election in a Tampa-area seat, the 14th District, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz is running near Miami in the 25th District, which also reaches close to West Palm Beach.
Democrats are also defending the open 22nd District, which stretches toward West Palm Beach and north of Miami.
The new reservations bring CLF’s investments so far in the 2026 general election to more than $175 million across 41 media markets, including spending on TV and digital ads.
The group’s Democratic opposite, the House Majority PAC, also announced an additional $11.5 million investment in Florida and Virginia last week, with nearly 80% of the money focused on districts Democrats are working to flip. That reservation brought HMP’s total reservations so far to more than $283 million across 68 media markets.
“With 139 days until Election Day, HMP continues to expand the map and go on offense,” HMP President Mike Smith said in a statement last week. “Republicans have made life more expensive for the American people and have ushered in an era of unprecedented corruption.”
HMP also made reservations in the Miami and West Palm Beach media markets in Florida, as well as the Norfolk and Richmond markets in Virginia.
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