5 things to know about spending on state races

WASHINGTON (AP) — Politicians seeking state-level offices and their allies have spent more on television ads than their peers fighting for control of the U.S. Senate, a remarkable fact highlighted in a Center for Public Integrity report released Wednesday. Five things to know about spending on state races:

CANDIDATES STILL THE BIG SPENDERS

Despite the prominence of super PACs and labor groups, candidates themselves still are spending the most money on television ads. Of the almost $283 million spent so far, about $205 million of it came from bank accounts under the candidates’ control.

PENNSYLVANIA TOPS TOTAL SPENDING

Pennsylvania’s race for governor accounted for almost all of the $38 million spent on the 56,000 TV ads in that state. Republican Gov. Tom Corbett is among the most unpopular and endangered incumbents in the country and he has already spent $9.5 million in a bid to keep his job. His Democratic opponent, cabinet executive Tom Wolf, has spent $11.4 million, including money spent during his primary.

FLORIDA HAS THE MOST ADS

More than 68,300 ads have run in Florida, bringing television stations almost $34 million. The race for governor accounts for all but about $2 million of that price tag. Yet Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, has only spent about $176,000 on ads. The conservative group Let’s Get to Work and the Republican Party of Florida are taking the lead on advertising, picking up almost $21 million on TV.

RHODE ISLAND VOTERS MOST COURTED

Tiny Rhode Island has seen the highest level of spending per voter. While spending is a relatively low $5.8 million, the small voting population has driven the cost-per-voter to almost $8. Voters there have seen 15,800 ads since January 2013. (The next highest state is Pennsylvania, where spending is about $4 per voter. Spending in 27 states is less than $1 per voter.)

SPENDING NOT CONSISTENT

While the high-cost races in Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida have eye-popping numbers of ads, they are hardly the rule. Utah, New Jersey, Louisiana, Mississippi, Delaware and Wyoming have not seen any state-office TV ads on broadcast stations or national cable yet this year, according to the center’s report. Voters in Montana have seen just 21 ads; North Dakota voters have seen 34 ads and Kentucky voters have been shown 35 ads, according to the report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up