Less than six months before Americans head to the polls, advocacy groups from both sides of the political aisle are targeting the opposition with new political advertising campaigns.
The Washington Post reports that American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC, will spend $25 million to attack former President Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, on the issue of abortion. The three-week campaign, which includes radio, will target the key swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
According to the newspaper, the spots, citing American Bridge’s leadership, will “use voter testimonials to warn about reduced abortion access in a second Trump term.”
One of the group’s co-founders, Bradley Beychok, said the ads will target approximately 2 million “persuadable” voters. The ads are part of a $140 million campaign on behalf of President Joe Biden’s re-election.
“Democrats are already dominating the spring presidential airwaves,” the Post reports, noting that “since his State of the Union address on March 7, Biden and the Democratic National Committee have spent $33 million on ads tracked by AdImpact, compared to just $7.9 million from MAGA Inc., a group supporting Trump, and no spending from Trump’s own operation.”
Meanwhile, One Nation, a key conservative group, is spending $70 million to target vulnerable incumbent Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
Politico, which reported on the spending effort, calls the $70 million “an extraordinary sum that’s roughly double the group’s Senate investment last cycle.” It will also include radio.
The non-profit advocacy group plans spending on five key battleground states — Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. A campaign in Montana is already in progress. The latest ad campaign, Politico reports, is branded as “Stop the Insanity” and will focus on the southern border and inflation.
“The total spend for the campaign this cycle is $88 million, more than double the $43 million run of ads the group ran last cycle,” Politico reports. “The lion’s share of the new money will go into what Republicans currently see as their top three pickup opportunities: The group will start $28.6 million in ads in Ohio on May 22 and $18.6 million in Pennsylvania starting in mid-June. The group previously announced a $17.9 million tranche of ads in Montana.”
One Nation also plans $9.4 million in ads in Michigan, $7.5 million in Wisconsin, and $5.9 million in Nevada.
And in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, a heated primary season is seeing a cash injection in support of state Sen. John McGuire, who is looking to unseat U.S. Rep. Bob Good, the House Freedom Caucus Chair.
The Republican Main Street Partnership’s super PAC is launching a nearly half-million-dollar ad buy for McGuire. Those spots will run on TV and radio, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.