GOP groups raise big sums to save Senate

Two big-money groups focused on retaining Republican control of the Senate had their biggest fundraising haul of the election in August, as Republican donors increasingly focus their attention on downballot contests.

The Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation raised a combined $42.5  million last month, spokesman Ian Prior said. The two groups now have raised nearly $100 million during the entire election cycle.

The surge in donations comes amid donor fears that the Republican Party's controversial nominee Donald Trump will lose to Democrat Hillary Clinton. Top Republican contributors view the Senate as a key way to block policies and judicial appointments from a Democratic president.

The Senate Leadership Fund, which is a super PAC, and One Nation, which operates as a non-profit group, are the main outside vehicles for helping Senate Republicans. Steven Law, who runs both groups, is closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and served as his chief of staff.

Of the total raised in August, nearly $28.2 went to the Senate Leadership Fund, and $14.3 million went to One Nation.

Politico first reported the August fundraising totals. Law told the political website that Trump's post-convention stumbles helped drive donor interest in Senate races. "The idea of fighting to protect the Senate gave them a sense of mission and urgency," he said. "It was not a hard sell when we started contacting them in the month of August."

Senate Leadership has reserved about $60 million of advertising in Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.