Opinion: Barack Obama beats John McCain in the advertising spending war yet again
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Barack Obama‘sad spending continued to swamp John McCain‘s in the past week — and that doesn’t count the 30-minute infomercial that aired two nights ago.
Obama’s decision to forgo the federal campaign money is paying dividends. He raised almost $190 million in the 45 days after the convention. McCain relied on the $84-million check from the federal government to run his campaign, and simply lacks money to match Obama’s.
The Democratic nominee shelled out $21.5 million to McCain’s $7.5 million, plus another $6.7 million by the Republican National Committee, between Oct. 21-28, according to a new study by the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project.
The spending pattern shows Obama is pressuring McCain in states the Republican must win, while McCain is playing defense.
Obama spent $15 million in states that voted for President Bush four years ago, “and over 70 percent of his total spending has been in states that were ‘red’” in 2004, the study says. McCain is spending in Republican-leaning states that he must win.
Obama will have spent more than $100 million on ads in October — more than any campaign in history, according to the study, done in concert with TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG, a private firm that tracks and analyzes advertising.
Obama’s production team was working overtime. He aired 46 different ads, many of them targeted at specific states, while McCain aired nine different spots.
Californians are spared much of the clutter. But over in Nevada, with its five electoral votes, Obama outspent McCain and the RNC more than 2 to 1.
In the Reno market — the place where experts on both sides believe the race for Nevada will be determined -- McCain aired 410 ads to Obama’s 500.
McCain and the RNC outspent Obama in North Carolina and Iowa.
Professor Ken Goldstein, director of the Wisconsin Advertising Project, said in a statement that “the spending is hugely unequal and in some cases, the Obama campaign has massive advantages.”
McCain and the RNC spent $2.9 million in Florida. Obama spent $4.6 million in Florida.
McCain and the RNC spent $1.9 million in Pennsylvania. Obama spent $2.7 million there.
In Ohio, McCain and the RNC spent $1.75 million to Obama’s $1.98 million.
Outside interest groups were making little impact. They spent $2.2 million between Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, with $1.7 million intended to help McCain. Most was spent on cable buys.
-- Dan Morain