A super PAC aligned with House GOP leaders in Washington says it won’t let Dallas Rep. Pete Sessions be outspent in his race against Democrat Colin Allred — setting off a high-dollar air war in a contest both parties consider crucial to their midterm efforts.
The Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC booked $2.7 million in TV ads beginning in September, executive director Corry Bliss told the Star-Telegram Monday. The group plans to attack Allred for his views on taxes and border enforcement.
“This is only the beginning, not the end of our investment,” said Bliss. “[We’re] going to be there for Pete.”
Democrats have also reserved TV ads for the contest against Sessions, who is one of three Texas Republicans running for re-election in districts Democrat Hillary Clinton won.
Sessions serves in House GOP leadership in Washington, and last year told party leaders he didn’t need their help in his bid for a 12th term.
Since then Allred, a civil rights attorney and former NFL player, has picked up big-name Democratic endorsements and outraised Sessions in recent fundraising reports.
Allred raised $1 million in the second quarter of 2018 to Sessions’s $695,000 — though Sessions had more in the bank.
The district was a late addition to the CLF’s target list this year, and named a top concern by a PAC aligned with Vice President Mike Pence last week.
“We’re not going to let him get outspent,” said Bliss, whose group plans to spend more than $100 million protecting the House GOP majority the fall.
Democrats need to flip 23 GOP-held seats to retake the House.
Both parties count Sessions’ Dallas district, which supported Clinton by three percentage points in 2016, to be among the most competitive.
“It’s no secret that suburbia will be the battleground this fall,” said Bliss.
Andrea Drusch is the Washington Correspondent for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She can be reached at adrusch@mcclatchydc.com; @andreadrusch