A Florida lawyer and his family are plowing millions into a new super PAC to boost Democrats’ chances of flipping four GOP-held Senate seats.
The last-minute gambit by Steve Pajcic, a former Florida state lawmaker and co-founder of a personal injury firm, underscores the optimism among some Democrats that the midterms could deliver big wins for their party.
Pajcic said he will spend at least $7 million on ads to shape US Senate races in Florida, Kansas, Mississippi and South Carolina. Ads began appearing this week, including one targeting Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a state President Donald Trump won by nearly 23 points two years ago.
Scott Colom, the Democratic nominee in Mississippi, has drawn growing interest from big-name figures in his party. Officials in Hyde-Smith’s campaign have said they are confident she will prevail in this deep-red state.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Pajcic said he hopes Democrats could win 55 or 56 seats in November and “contribute to a wave of history.”
“I’m not interested in Democrats doing the same thing they’ve been doing forever,” he said. “I want there to be a little more courage and little more willingness to step out and be bolder.”
Pajcic said he could add more to the budget as he and his team evaluate races.
The New York Times first reported on the spending by Pajcic’s super PAC, New Deal for All.
Pajcic said his family’s money can go further in states such as Mississippi with lower-cost media markets. He’s steering well clear of another ruby-red state, Texas, which has seen huge spending to influence the outcome of the battle between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.
“I would never put any money in Texas, because, Jiminy Cricket, I would be just a drop in the bucket,” the 80-year-old said. “I’m not one of those billionaires, you know. I’m just somebody who happens to have a little extra money, and I think this is a very good cause.”