balderson, t

<div>=</div><div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Vulnerable Republicans, open seats in the House and underdog candidates seeking to repeat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s intraparty upset in New York are among the storylines heading into Tuesday’s primaries in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Tuesday is also another special election litmus test of liberal enthusiasm, this time in Ohio’s 12thDistrict, where voters haven’t elected a Democrat since the 1980s.<h1 style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; font-size: 24px; margin: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans Condensed", HelveticaNeueLightCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Light-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Light Condensed", HelveticaNeueCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Condensed", "Arial Narrow", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; padding: 10px 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 36px;">Kansas</h1><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In the Sunflower State, Democrats are vying for a chance to flip two of the state’s four GOP-controlled congressional seats, including one held by four-term Representative Kevin Yoder.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">               <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=KS03" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Third District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Yoder is among 41 incumbent House Republicans running in competitive midterm races, according to Cook Political Report. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won Yoder’s Kansas City-area district by a percentage point.  <p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In the Democratic primary, five candidates have raised at least $170,000. Tom Niermann, a history teacher, has outraised, outspent and has more cash on hand than his four opponents. Attorney Brent Welder is second in each category, having raised and spent $678,000 and $436,000, respectively.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Two other Democrats — Sharice Davids and Sylvia Williams — have each raised over $300,000 and spent six figures on the primary, however. Davids, an attorney and former MMA fighter, has also benefited from almost<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2018&id=KS03&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> $679,000</a> in outside support from Women Vote!, a super PAC affiliated with<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000113&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">EMILY’s List</a>.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Yoder has a substantial war chest, however, having raised more money ($2.7 million) and with more in reserve ($1.8 million) than all the Democrats in the primary combined.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=KS02" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Second District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In January 2017, Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a five-term Republican representing the Topeka-area district west of Kansas City, announced she would not seek reelection, giving potential replacements plenty of time to contemplate a run.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In seeking the GOP nomination, six candidates have raised or spent at least $100,000, including Army veteran Steve Watkins, whose campaign has paced the field with over $608,000 raised and more than $483,000 spent. Kansans Can Do Anything, a super PAC<a href="http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00674952/1252301/sa/ALL" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> entirely funded</a> by Jenkins’ father, has spent another <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2018&id=KS02&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">$522,000</a> on his behalf.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Other Republicans in the race include Caryn Tyson and Steve Fitzgerald, both of whom have raised over $450,000.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The winner will face Democrat Paul Davis in November. Davis, a former statehouse minority leader, has the DCCC’s endorsement and about $942,000 in the bank for his post-primary campaign. Davis has to technically win the primary, but no opponent has raised or spent at least $5,000.<h1 style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; font-size: 24px; margin: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans Condensed", HelveticaNeueLightCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Light-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Light Condensed", HelveticaNeueCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Condensed", "Arial Narrow", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; padding: 10px 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 36px;">Michigan</h1><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Republicans represent nine of the state’s 14 congressional districts,<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> two</a> of which are considered toss-ups in November. Three others offer an outside shot for Democratic primary winners.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MI08" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Eighth District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The state’s Eighth District, an area encompassing Lansing, is one of the toss-up districts, and where Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Bishop is seeking a third term.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Bishop is unopposed in the Republican primary but trailing his likely November opponent in fundraising. Incumbents generally raise more than challengers do. Democrat Elissa Slotkin, however, has outraised Bishop by $835,000 in pre-primary fundraising.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Slotkin, a former Obama appointee in the Defense Department, has the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and nearly $2.4 million in the bank for a run in November.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MI11" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">11th District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">This open seat just northwest of Detroit is another toss-up race in November. GOP Rep. Dave Trott declined to run for a third term.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Ten candidates — five from each party — have raised a combined $6.8 million toward primary victories Tuesday.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Republican Lena Epstein has raised more than $1.6 million and spent over $1.3 million, the most among candidates of either party. In the Democratic primary, Suneel Gupta and Haley Stevens have each raised over $1 million and spent at least $700,000. Gupta raised close to $1.4 million to Stevens’ $1 million.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Also Tuesday, three other congressional races in Michigan offer outside chances for Democrats in November.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 60px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MI01&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">First District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Freshman GOP incumbent John Bergman and Democrat Matt Morgan are running unopposed in their respective primaries in this district, setting up a fall showdown. Both are creeping toward $1 million in fundraising, with Bergman ($933,000) edging Morgan ($776,000), so far.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 60px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MI06&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Sixth District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">First elected to Congress in 1992, Republican incumbent Rep. Fred Upton is seeking his 14th term in office. Upton’s raised $2.2 million, with almost $1.7 million cash on hand. In the Democratic primary, four of the six candidates have spent over $100,000 led by George Franklin, a former Kellogg’s lobbyist and former Bill Clinton appointee. Franklin spent nearly $617,000. Physician Matt Longjohn is second among Democrats with about $456,000 in spending.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 60px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MI07&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Seventh District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">With DCCC support and over $1.3 million in fundraising, Democrat Gretchen Driskell is favored in the primary. Rep. Tim Walberg, the GOP incumbent from the southeast Michigan district, raised about $1.6 million.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 60px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MIS2&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Senate Primary</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">On the Senate side, Democratic incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow is running unopposed. In the Republican primary, venture capitalist Sandy Pensler has outraised Army veteran John James, $5.2 million to $4.2 million. Stabenow, with $6.3 million in the bank and $1.2 million in <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2018&id=MIS2&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">outside support</a>, is expected to hold her seat in November.<h1 style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; font-size: 24px; margin: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans Condensed", HelveticaNeueLightCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Light-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Light Condensed", HelveticaNeueCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Condensed", "Arial Narrow", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; padding: 10px 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 36px;">Missouri</h1><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Six of the eight congressional districts in the Show Me State are GOP-held. Only one holds potential for Democrats.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 60px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MO02" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Second District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In the Democratic primary, Cort Vanostran ($858,000 raised/$403,000 spent) and Mark Osmack ($159,000 raised/$119,000 spent) top the money list among candidates. Republican incumbent Rep. Ann L. Wagner, with $2.5 million raised and $3 million in the bank, is expected to win a fourth term in the fall.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 60px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MO01" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">First District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">This greater St. Louis district features Ferguson activist Cori Bush seeking a primary win over<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00012460" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr</a>, a nine-term House member. Bush’s campaign hopes to repeat what Ocasio-Cortez did last month — upset a long-tenured, better-funded incumbent.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=MOS2&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Senate Primary</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Missouri’s Senate race will be among the most closely watched contests in November. But Tuesday’s primary is essentially decided: Republican Josh Hawley, the state’s attorney general, is favored to win. If so, Hawley would face Sen. Claire McCaskill, one of six Democratic senators running in <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">competitive races</a> in November. McCaskill has over $6.6 million cash on hand to Hawley’s $2.3 million.<h1 style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; font-size: 24px; margin: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans Condensed", HelveticaNeueLightCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Light-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Light Condensed", HelveticaNeueCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Condensed", "Arial Narrow", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; padding: 10px 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 36px;">Washington</h1><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Washington’s “jungle primary” means the top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s primary will advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. Three GOP-held House seats are in play for Democrats.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=WA08" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Eighth District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">This open seat offers the best hope for Democrats to flip a red district in Washington, after seven-term Rep. David Reichert opted not to run for reelection.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In the primary, Republican Dino Rossi is running with a large fundraising advantage over his potential Democratic opponents. Rossi, a former state senator, has raised nearly $3 million with $1.8 million left over and has been backed by $200,000 in spending by the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/indexpend.php?cmte=C90013145&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">U.S. Chamber of Commerce.</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Three other well-funded candidates are running for spots on the November ballot. Among Democrats, pediatrician Kim Schrier leads the pack in money raised ($1.6 million), spent ($949,000) and available cash ($655,000). Women Vote! and other progressive groups have also added about <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2018&id=WA08&spec=N" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">$238,000</a> in outside support.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Others Democrats in the primary include attorney Jason Rittereiser and Shannon Hader, a former Centers for Disease Control division director. Both candidates have raised over $800,000 and spent over $500,000 ahead of the primary. About half of Hader’s funding ($426,000) is self-financed. The Seattle Times<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/hader-and-rossi-promise-best-contest-in-the-8th-congressional-district/" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> endorsed</a> her last month.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Party control of this Central Washington district east of Seattle is considered a toss-up.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=WA05" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Fifth District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is seeking an eighth term in the state’s easternmost district. Rodgers and Democrat Lisa Brown, a former statehouse majority leader and chancellor of Washington State University in Spokane, are the only two candidates who have raised or spent at least $5,000 in the race. <p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Rodgers leads Brown in fundraising, with $3.8 million raised and $1.2 million leftover. But Brown’s $2.4 million raised and $921,000 leftover are strong numbers for a challenger this early in the midterm cycle.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Cook Political Report has the race <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">leaning Republican</a> in November.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=WA03" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Third District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler appears likely to win a fifth term in the state’s rural, southernmost district. President Trump in 2016 and Mitt Romney in 2012 each carried the district, and Cook Political considers the seat Likely Republican.  <p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Among Democrats in the primary, Army veteran and attorney David McDevitt has spent only $56,000 on his campaign, which is about 96 percent self-financed. Carolyn Long, a Washington State University political science professor, has spent nearly $540,000 for a shot at Beutler’s seat. <p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">            <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=WA09" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">Ninth District</a><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Like Cori Bush in Missouri, Democrat Sarah Smith is hoping to pull an<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/progressive-challenger-hopes-to-repeat-ocasio-cortezs-success-in-washington-state/" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> Ocasio-Cortez-like upset</a> against a better-funded incumbent in the form of Democrat Rep. Adam Smith ($600,000 raised and $624,000 spent). Sarah Smith’s campaign raised $57,000 and spent $41,000 ahead of the primary. No other candidate raised or spent at least $5,000.<h1 style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; font-size: 24px; margin: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans Condensed", HelveticaNeueLightCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Light-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Light Condensed", HelveticaNeueCondensed, HelveticaNeue-Condensed, "Helvetica Neue Condensed", "Arial Narrow", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; padding: 10px 0px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 36px;">Ohio Special Election  </h1><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Tuesday is also a special election for the vacated seat of former Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi. The 12th District race pits Republican state Sen. Troy Balderson and Democrat Danny O’Connor, an Ohio county recorder.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Outside groups have spent nearly <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2018&id=OH12" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;">$7.2 million</a> in support or opposition of the two candidates. The conservative<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/indexpend.php?cmte=C00504530&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> Congressional Leadership Fund</a> and the<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/parties/indexp.php?cmte=NRCC&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> National Republican Congressional Committee</a> account for the majority of it, having nearly spent a combined $3.3 million opposing O’Connor and $4.5 million overall.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">O’Connor has outraised and outspent Balderson, however, and a Monmouth University<a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/MonmouthPoll_OH_080118/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> poll</a> released this week found the race a toss-up.<p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(95, 95, 95); font-family: "Open Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Trump plans<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/31/trump-ohio-special-election-753326" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration-line: none;"> to travel to Ohio</a> on Saturday for a rally in support of Balderson.</div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/08/what-is-the-congressional-leadership-fund/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/08/what-is-the-congressional-leadership-fund/</a></div><div>
</div><div>A Democratic candidate alleged Wednesday that a GOP super PAC got ahold of her C.I.A. security clearance application to use for political purposes, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/us/politics/cia-officer-house-election-super-pac.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">according to The New York Times.</a></div>Abigail Spanberger, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=VA07" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 7th District</a>, said the Congressional Leadership Fund is using the highly sensitive information found in the application to attack her campaign. Spanberger is challenging <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00036013" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.)</a>.A spokeswoman for the super PAC responded to Spanberger’s accusation saying it had lawfully obtained the application through a Freedom of Information Act request.<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00504530&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">The Congressional Leadership Fund</a> is a powerful and influential GOP super PAC that has already raised nearly $100 million for the 2018 election cycle.The super PAC, which formed in 2011, has rapidly become a major contributor to GOP politicians, closely aligned to House Speaker Paul Ryan.The Congressional Leadership Fund has raised $96.6 million in 2018 year-to-date, a sizable increase from $51.1 million raised during the 2016 election cycle and $12.6 million raised for 2014 elections.At this point in the 2018 election cycle, the super PAC has spent $3.2 million supporting Republican candidates and $24.2 million opposing Democratic candidates.The super PAC’s biggest spend in support of a candidate so far this cycle was $1.2 million supporting Troy Balderson, the Republican who went on to win the hotly contested special election <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/24/politics/troy-balderson-ohio-special-election/index.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">in Ohio’s 12 District.</a>Congressional Leadership Fund’s biggest spend opposing a candidate was $6.1 million against Jon Ossoff, the Democratic candidate <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/why-jon-ossoff-isn-making-comeback-georgia-6th/P2FMacaNXWPkeKKstIFltK/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">who lost in Georgia’s 6th District in a 2017 special election.</a>The super PAC’s stated mission is to focus on bringing more Republicans into the U.S. House of Representatives to strengthen the party’s majority, according to <a href="https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/about/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">the Congressional Leadership Fund’s website.</a>Corry Bliss is the executive director for both the Congressional Leadership Fund and the American Action Network, a politically active nonprofit focused on center-right policies that doesn’t have to disclose its donors.  Major Republican donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson have been the leading contributors to the super PAC since its creation. The Adelsons donated $15 million a piece to the super PAC in 2018 and a total of $20 million in 2016.The Congressional Leadership Fund was also created to oppose Democratic super PACs, like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and to support former House Speaker John Boehner, according to the super PAC’s website.<div class="related-box" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; width: 760px; padding: 8px 0px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px;">RELATED TOPICS<ul class="related-list" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px -5px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/abigail-spanberger/" rel="tag" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; 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