With a focus on the battleground states likely to determine the winner of the 2024 Presidential election, the ad-spending race for the final weeks until Election Day is on between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump.
While current polls show the race too close to call, there’s a clear winner when it comes to total advertising dollars booked by both campaigns from Sept. 3 through Nov. 5, with Democrats outspending Republicans two-to-one.
Of the former’s $500 million spend, $225 comes from the Future Forward USA PAC and $192 million from Harris’ election war chest, while the GOP’s $250 million includes $142 million from Trump and $118 million from two PACs, Make America Great Again and Preserve America.
“You might remember that Democratic donors were reticent to open their wallets and checkbooks in the final days of President Joe Biden’s campaign. Those hesitations are now history,” Steve Passwaiter, President of political advisory firm Silver Oak Political, writes in Ad Age, noting that Harris has raised $615 million since entering the race in late July, and $360 million during August alone — nearly three times the $130 million raised by Trump for the month.
As expected, most of this ad spend from both candidates ($588 million) is on five swing states: the blue wall trio of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, along with Georgia and Arizona. The first three states, which are likely to decide the race, account for 70% of that total, or $411 million.
Five markets dominate spending — two of those in Pennsylvania, with $81 million for ads in Philadelphia and $45 million in Pittsburgh — while Atlanta, Detroit, and Phoenix are running $74 million, $73 million, and $67 million worth of political ads, respectively.
Passwaiter notes that with the large sum Harris has raised, she has already transferred $25 million to down-ballot races, supporting Democratic congressional candidates. For both parties, the focus is also on close Senate races in swing states, with heavy spending on Pennsylvania’s contest between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick.
As for which issues dominate political ads in key states, public safety is the driver in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada, while the economy and inflation are the main topics of most ads in Georgia and North Carolina. Other issues in play are immigration and social issues such as reproductive and LGBTQ rights.
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