Dem
47
GOP
53
Donald Trump's campaign account still has hundreds of millions of dollars in it. Since Trump is (probably) not going to run for any public office again, what is going to happen to all that cash? And if that's not enough, Trump has maintained a close relationship with big donors and is urging them to keep donating. Elon Musk is about to toss another $100M in the kitty, for example.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate have an idea. They want that money to be used to help Republicans keep control of both chambers in 2026. Exactly how that will happen is not clear, though. One idea would be to transfer funds to the Senate Leadership Fund and the Congressional Leadership Fund, two outside super PACs focused on electing Republicans to the Senate and House, respectively. However, a potential problem is that old chestnut "candidate quality." The SLF and CLF are focused on winning, not on pleasing Trump. They could end up supporting primary candidates they think can win their states and districts, even if they are not at all Trumpy.
But Trump may not go for that. He may want to keep at least some substantial portion of the money under his own control so he can go after his enemies. For example, Trump hates Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who voted against the continuing resolution (CR) last week. He may want to use some money to support a primary opponent to Massie. That may not be easy though, since Massie is so far to the right, there isn't room for anyone on his right flank, and last time he crushed a Trumpist in the primary.
It may not even be necessary to spend the money to use it effectively. The mere knowledge that Trump or one of the committees can spend virtually unlimited amounts of money to defeat anyone who opposes him may deter everyone from opposing him in the first place.
Another thing Trump has done to increase his grip on the Republican Party is get the RNC to appoint J.D. Vance as national finance chair. That puts Vance in charge of doling out money. Members of Congress from swing districts who need independent votes will suddenly find themselves in a bind. Oppose Trump and you might win some votes, but the money spigot might suddenly dry up. (V)