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In what’s stacking up to be one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in Illinois history, Governor Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner are blanketing the state with ads. Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois Springfield, expects their total campaign spending to exceed $80 million by Election Day (November 4). Here’s how their strategies compare. (For more on Rauner, see “Will the Real Bruce Rauner Please Stand Up?”.)
| QUINN | RAUNER | |
|---|---|---|
| Team Behind His TV Ads |
Joe Slade White and Ben Nuckels, the same team from Quinn’s 2010 squeaker win | Something Else Strategies, the firm that propelled Senator Marco Rubio to a win in Florida in 2010 |
| Most Watched Ad on His YouTube Page |
“Comeback,” using such words as “courage” and “determination” to tout Quinn’s accomplishments | “Nuts,” featuring a flannel-clad Rauner and wife, Diana, smiling, laughing, and finishing each other’s sentences |
| The YouTube Takeaway | He’s a hard worker with a track record of success. (Wait, what state has he been running again?) | His wife is a Democrat. Did you know she’s a Democrat, by the way? (She’s a Democrat.) |
| TV Ad Spending in Chicago |
$809,000 (490 spots) | $1.7 million (1,650 spots) |
| TV Ad Spending Elsewhere in Illinois |
$120,000 (480 spots) | $345,000 (1,480 spots) |
| Among His Favored TV Slots |
Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune | The Bachelorette, NASCAR, Notre Dame football, soap operas |
| TV Slots He Bought That His Opponent Hasn’t |
CMA Music Festival, Family Guy, Teen Choice Awards, TMZ | This Week in Agribusiness, U.S. Farm Report |
| Baseball Slots Bought | 12 Cubs games, 6 White Sox games | 14 Cubs games, 8 White Sox games |