Dark money groups have spent nearly $1 billion so far to boost GOP Senate candidates

Alternating bars in two shades of blue and two shades of red show TV ad spending, with much of the spending coming from non-candidates.

Kaitlyn Radde / Kaitlyn Radde

More than $1.6 billion has been spent or booked on TV ads in a dozen Senate races, with $3 out of every $4 being spent in six states — Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada and Ohio, according to an NPR analysis of data provided by the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

Most of that money is coming from dark money outside groups with little-to-no donor transparency — and Republicans are getting a huge boost from them.

Outside groups have poured in nearly $1 billion to buoy GOP Senate candidates. Just how important have these groups been to Republicans? Eighty-six percent of the money going toward pro-GOP TV ads is coming from these outside groups, compared to 55% for Democrats. (Below, see how much Republican and Democrats’ campaigns and outside groups are spending on TV ads in key states.)