Dems and their allies as of mid-September had more than three times the ad reservations than their GOP counterparts in nine of 12 key Assembly races through Election Day, according to WisPolitics …
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Dems and their allies as of mid-September had more than three times the ad reservations than their GOP counterparts in nine of 12 key Assembly races through Election Day, according to WisPolitics review of AdImpact data.
Altogether, Dems and those backing them had reserved $5.8 million between Labor Day and Election Day in the races, compared to $1.4 million reserved on the GOP side.
WisPolitics has identified 12 races as key to determining control of the Assembly. While Republicans had a 64-35 majority at the start of the legislative session, that majority is now up for grabs with new legislative maps that give Dems more opportunities to flip the chamber.
A review of the ad reservations shows many of the campaigns have invested in joint buys with their parties’ respective campaign fundraising committees, the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee and Republican Assembly Campaign Committee.
Meanwhile, groups such as A Better Wisconsin Together and the Assembly Accountability Project are backing Dem candidates while conservative groups including Jobs First Coalition and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s Issues Mobilization Council are investing in GOP campaigns.
Insiders say the ad disparity is a result of the superior resources the state Dem Party has been pulling in over recent years compared to its GOP counterpart. It has enabled the Dem Party to put money into legislative candidates and the legislative caucuses that has been tough for Republicans to match.
The ad buys, though, are one piece of the spending puzzle in key races, which will also see groups weigh in through canvassing, mail and other methods. Those efforts are typically reported to the Ethics Commission through its website. But it hasn’t been fully operational for much of early September. Some reports began rolling in as the website came back online.
Those include the Jobs First Coalition Political Fund putting $105,129 into online and radio ads opposing state Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire. She’s seeking reelection in a district that’s now 53% Dem after her seat had been 63% in her favor under the old maps, and GOP Assembly leaders have mentioned it as a target. According to AdImpact, Republican Michele Skinner and RACC have a joint buy for $64,257, while Emerson and her caucus have $61,000 reserved.
Here is a mid-September sweep of buys in the top 12 districts as tracked by AdImpact for snapshots of the early efforts in those races.
For more, go to www.wispolitics.com.