Democrats seize air supremacy in Senate battlegrounds
Editor’s note: The Center for Public Integrity is tracking political advertising in races for the U.S. Senate and state-level offices. Use these two, interactive features — with new data every Thursday — to see who is calling the shots and where the money is being spent.
Related: Last week's TV ads in the 2014 battle for the Senate
When it comes to winning U.S. Senate races’ television ad wars, Team Blue has seized the advantage a month before Election Day.
Related: Total TV ads in the 2014 battle for the Senate through Oct. 6
Democratic candidates and their liberal allies last week aired more TV ads than their conservative opponents in seven out of nine top battleground states, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of preliminary estimates from Kantar Media/CMAG, an advertising tracking service.
Related: Who's buying the Senate?
Democrats proved particularly dominant in the U.S. Senate races being waged in Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana and Michigan, where they bested Republicans by sponsoring hundreds more TV spots throughout each state, the analysis indicates.
Related: John Carroll quote 100814
At the beginning of September, Democrats were producing more TV ads than Republicans, overall, in key Senate battleground states. As September wore on, however, the GOP ate away at those leads. Last week represents a dramatic shift in that dynamic back toward a Democratic advantage. Whereas the Democrats' lead in TV spots during most of the election cycle have been relatively modest, the left’s ad buys last week created a large gulf with its conservative opponents.
Related: Mitch McConnell revs ad machine
Non-candidate committees —party organizations, super PACs and nonprofit groups — led the early October advertising spree.
Related: Eyeballs burn in North Carolina, Iowa ahead of U.S. Senate elections
There’s more to this story. Click here to read the rest at the Center for Public Integrity.
This story is part of Buying the Senate 2014. Whether Republicans control both chambers of Congress squarely depends on Senate races in a handful of states. Click here to read more stories in this investigation.
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Copyright 2014 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
