TV’s Political Ad Wars: Which Candidates Are Burning Through Cash?
Jeb Bush may be struggling in the polls in recent weeks, but when it comes to spending cash on TV ads, he’s No. 1.
The team backing the former Florida governor has been saturating the airwaves in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina with campaign ads, according to new numbers by NBC ad-tracking partner SMG Delta.
Just in the last week, the super-PAC behind Bush, Right to Rise, has spent $1.9 million in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — a small fortune this early in the campaign since the general election is more than a year away.
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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s Super PAC, Conservative Solutions Project, came in second with $700,000, Team Hillary Clinton spent a bit less, about $490,000 in Iowa and New Hampshire, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s camp dropped $332,000 in New Hampshire alone.
As most candidates had to dig deep for TV ads, GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump spend zero dollars on TV ads.
Analysts note that the presidential candidates have spent about $28 million on TV ads — significantly more than in past campaigns a year this far ahead of the general election. The top overall spenders on TV ads so far:
• Team Jeb Bush: $7.3 million
• Team John Kasich: $5.4 million
• Team Marco Rubio: $4.7 million
• Team Hillary Clinton: $4.6 million
• Team Chris Christie: $3.3 million
• Team Bobby Jindal: $2.3 million
