Scoop: Massive Harris ad buy launches wild spending month
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Screenshot: Future Forward
A massive $50 million ad buy from Vice President Harris' outside super PAC signaled the beginning of a spending rush by both campaigns to empty their war chests in the election's final month.
Why it matters: Both Democrats and Republicans are unleashing more financial political fire — in just seven swing states — than America has ever seen.
- The Harris campaign and its super PACs are swimming in cash. Their challenge will be to spend it efficiently and effectively.
- For Harris super PAC Future Forward this week, that involves directly appealing to the kind of voter Harris has struggled to attract: white working-class males.
- "Trump is fighting for rich guys like himself," says a goateed welder in the new ad, before the screen flashes to a quick shot of Elon Musk. "Kamala is fighting for us."
Zoom in: In the handful of states that will determine the election, political ads on local TV stations are at near saturation levels.
- But for campaigns and PACs flush with cash, there's an October hack: Reserve on national cable and just accept that the majority of your viewers aren't your target audience. Go national to win local.
- In this buy, Future Forward is placing $10 million on national TV and another $10 million on YouTube.
- This week's $50 million buy from Future Forward is part of a campaign that it expects to exceed $350 million. More than $100 million is out the door, according to AdImpact.
Zoom out: In the presidential campaign and in House races, Democrats are pressing their money advantage over Republicans.
- In the first week of October, Democrats have spent some $93 million on the presidential campaign, compared to $54 million by Republicans, according to AdImpact.
Former President Trump's campaign isn't hurting for cash, but it is lagging behind Harris. Last week, the Trump campaign said it raised $160 million in September, mostly from small donors.
- That left the campaign with $283 million cash on hand at the beginning of the month.
- Trump's main super PAC, MAGA Inc., is planning to spend some $100 million in the campaign's final stretch, the New York Times reported.
- The Harris campaign hasn't released its September haul yet, but the vice president has out-raised every month since she replaced President Biden on the Democrat's ticket.
