In an interesting First Read item about early TV advertising in the 2016 presidential race, we learn the following:
How much does money matter in the current presidential contest? So far, not that much — at least in terms of those who have spent the most on TV ads. Indeed, with a few exceptions, our list of the biggest spenders in the TV ad wars looks like an INVERSE to the current polling, according to the latest ad-spending data by NBC partner SMG Delta:
*Team Bush: $5.4 million ($5 million from the Right to Rise Super PAC, $400K from the campaign)
*Team Kasich: $4.9 million (all in New Hampshire)
* Team Clinton: $4.1 million (all from the campaign)
*Team Rubio: $3.9 million (all from the outside group Conservative Solutions)
* Team Christie $2.9 million (all in New Hampshire)
* Team Jindal: $2.5 million (all in Iowa)
By contrast, these are the campaigns/outside groups who aren’t spending – or who barely have:
*Team Trump: $0
* Team Sanders: $0
* Team Fiorina: $3,315
* Team Carson: $400,000
First Read goes on to contrast the single-state efforts of two particular candidates:
Kasich has spent nearly $5 million in TV ads (all in New Hampshire), and he’s gone up in the polls. Jindal and his supporters have spent $2.5 million (all in Iowa), and he really hasn’t.
In other words: you may think of Bobby Jindal as this right-wing insurgent candidate living off the land Guevera-style, but in terms of his top priority state, he’s actually out-spending most of the field on TV ads, and so far, it’s not lifting him from second- or third-tier. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
