Republicans Spend $233 Million on Senate TV Ads for Only 40% More Reach
Updated
Updated · CNN · Oct 14
Republicans Spend $233 Million on Senate TV Ads for Only 40% More Reach
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Oct 14
Summary
$233 million in Republican broadcast TV spending across nine top Senate races in September produced only about 40% more rating points than Democrats' $121 million, according to AdImpact.
Republicans paid about $274 per GRP versus Democrats' $201 because GOP campaigns leaned on super PACs and other outside groups for roughly 9 in 10 ad dollars and bought late, when airtime was scarce and expensive.
North Carolina showed the gap clearly: Republicans spent about $17 million to Democrats' $14 million but got roughly 58,000 GRPs versus more than 71,000 for Democrats, then cut about $15 million in October bookings.
The pattern also appeared in Maine and Texas, where Democrats matched or narrowed airtime despite being heavily outspent; in seven of the nine biggest Senate ad markets, Democrats paid less per GRP.
A recent Supreme Court ruling has let party committees use candidate-rate coordinated buys, and Republicans used that tool far more aggressively in September—more than $30 million versus about $5 million for Democrats—though outside groups still dominate GOP spending.