The first major wave of TV political attack advertising assaulted Chicago-area viewers last week, and the barrage is only expected to grow stronger as candidates in high-stakes U.S. Senate, governor and congressional contests try to woo voters.
Campaigns, political parties and an interest group bought almost $3 million of ad time, a total that could reach $7 million a week in the run-up to the Nov. 2 election. That’s according to a source familiar with TV political ads in the Chicago market, who reviewed the spending figures for the week but was not authorized to speak publicly about them.
Nearly $1.5 million funded spots in the campaign for U.S. Senate, a new high point in the fight for the seat once held by Barack Obama. It’s a contest that has gained national attention as Republicans try to turn discontent with the president and dissatisfaction with the country’s economic malaise into efforts to wrest control of Congress from Democrats.
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Democratic hopeful Alexi Giannoulias ran $500,000 in ads and got a $200,000 assist from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in attacking Republican nominee Mark Kirk.
Kirk, a five-term North Shore congressman, spent $363,000 to attack Giannoulias, the first-term state treasurer. Some of Kirk’s advertising is being paid through funding provided by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
And Kirk got another $360,000 worth of help on the air from ads by American Crossroads, a group founded by former Bush White House political guru Karl Rove and former national Republican chairman Ed Gillespie. The group is pouring millions of dollars primarily into Senate contests across the country.
The group’s ad features a cartoon with Giannoulias as the driver of an SUV, with road signs pointing to the problems of his family’s failed Broadway Bank and the state’s Bright Start college savings program. The SUV is a reference to a 2009 Tribune story that disclosed the treasurer’s office used Bright Start proceeds to purchase a $26,000 hybrid SUV that Giannoulias used as his state car.
Ironically, the Republican Kirk sent out an e-mail to supporters last week decrying “Giannoulias and out-of-state funders” for their Democratic TV ad buy after the GOP-friendly American Crossroads had purchased its TV time. Under federal law, independent groups attempting to influence elections cannot coordinate their activities with a political candidate.
The American Crossroads ad has already generated some controversy.
A firm that produces Kirk’s campaign commercials also has done some work for American Crossroads in other states. Spokesmen for Kirk and American Crossroads said there was no coordination of the campaign advertising and noted Giannoulias’ media firm has done advertising for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. A Giannoulias spokesman said the firm was not doing work for national Senate Democrats this cycle.
Also on the air last week were Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bill Brady, a state senator from Bloomington. Quinn bought $450,000 of Chicago airtime to Brady’s $240,000. Quinn also will be getting some national help at the end of October when the Democratic Governors Association is expected to pump in $850,000 for ads, the source said.
Scott Lee Cohen, the former Democratic lieutenant governor nominee who is now mounting an independent bid for governor, spent $100,000 on TV ads last week attacking Brady and Quinn as career politicians. Cohen dropped his lieutenant governor nomination in February following unflattering disclosures about his personal life.
Two Democratic U.S. House members also are spending on Chicago TV ads, even though most people who see them won’t be able to vote for them.
Rep. Debbie Halvorson, who represents the southwest suburban 11th Congressional District, spent $334,000 last week in her contest against Republican Adam Kinzinger.
Rep. Bill Foster, who represents the far west suburban 14th Congressional District, spent $200,000 to combat Republican challenger state Sen. Randall Hultgren.
In addition to TV ads involving election contests, a coalition that includes the nation’s largest fast-food firms, beverage companies, and grocery and convenience store chains is spending $200,000 a week on commercials that oppose efforts in Washington to create a federal junk-food tax to raise revenue and combat obesity.