The campaign on your TV is expensive, but cheaper than '08
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The election so far in the Twin Cities in a nutshell: More than $13 million, at least 11,634 television spots, eight races and two constitutional amendments.
Four weeks from the general election, those figures offer a snapshot of the cash that's being poured into the Twin Cities television market on ads targeting the top of the ticket down to the legislative races.
Using documents posted for the first time on the Federal Communications Commission website, MPR News analyzed political ad buys through Oct. 5 at WCCO, KARE11, KSTP, FOX9 and, for groups working to defeat or promote two constitutional amendments, WFTC.
While $13 million may seem staggering — and that figure is certain to climb as Election Day gets closer — it pales in comparison to the $42 million spent in the Twin Cities broadcast market in 2008, a presidential election year when Democratic Sen. Al Franken and former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman were engaged in a high stakes battle to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.
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Still, the data underscore Minnesota's most competitive races and provide a window into campaign strategy. Take DFLer Mike Obermueller, who is running against Republican Rep. John Kline in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District. During the third week of October, he'll be running ads between episodes of the Bold and the Beautiful, Dr. Phil and the Ellen DeGeneres show — a clear sign he's targeting the female vote.
The numbers come with some important caveats. Television markets in other parts of the state are excluded from the analysis because they are too small to comply with the new FCC reporting requirements. Comcast, the cable TV company that serves the Twin Cities, is also exempt from the reporting rules.
Finally, ad buys by groups involved in promoting or opposing two constitutional amendments are incomplete. While KARE11 and FOX9 are making that information public, WCCO and KSTP are not.
CONGRESSIONAL RACES ATTRACT THE MOST CASH
All told, candidates and third-party political groups have committed at least $7 million to the state's congressional races — a sum that far outpaces the $1.7 million spent targeting the presidential race or the roughly $550,000 Sen. Amy Klobuchar so far plans to spend on her race.