Mitch McConnell is moving swiftly to consolidate political power — and cash.
Before he even takes the reins as Senate majority leader, McConnell and his allies are quietly trying to engineer a bold plan that would enable party leaders to rely more on major contributions to independent groups while also removing restrictions on the ability of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other party committees to interact with candidates.
Story Continued BelowThe outside cash would be raised by a pair of linked groups — a super PAC and 501(c)4 nonprofit — that could accept unlimited cash to boost key GOP Senate candidates, according to sources familiar with the plan. The inside cash would flow to the NRSC, which could operate more freely under an election law change McConnell began pushing this week.
The two-pronged campaign finance initiative, coming only a month after the GOP’s midterm triumph, reflects McConnell’s intense interest in the money side of politics and his desire to strengthen the hand of the Republican establishment against more ideologically rigid conservative outside groups. It also underscores the difficult plight facing Republicans in 2016, when the party must defend a whopping 24 seats to the Democrats’ 10.