To be honest, the NRA reminds me of one of those televangelists that’s always begging for donations because they are on the brink of economic doom, yet always seems to have enough money for the big ticket items. They ain’t going anywhere any time soon.
As for why midterm spending dropped off I’d say it was because they saw which way the political wind was blowing and figured it’d be a waste of money. They’ll save it for a day when it’ll be more effective. They ain’t exactly dumb, you know.