News: Here's what $1 billion looks like in campaign ads
At his victory party on Tuesday night, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell's
first announcement was made to wild cheers from supporters. "No more
campaign commercials," he proclaimed, officially pulling the plug on $25
million worth of ads bought on his behalf. Supporters of his opponent,
Alison Lundergan Grimes, spent another $16.7 million, making the total
ad spend in Kentucky $42 million, a record for a midterm election in the
Bluegrass State.
Kentucky was not alone. Across America a record $4 billion was spent to gain favor with voters in the lead-up to Tuesday's elections. According to the Wesleyan Media Project, over $1 billion of that was spent on airing television commercials. In races for governor, U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, Americans were subjected to 2,221,879 airings of campaign ads. In Denver alone, voters sat through — or clicked away from — 78,000 campaign commercials. The ads were airing with such frequency that one local station had to turn a super-PAC away; it had run out of ad space. And in what's sure to be an even costlier election cycle in 2016, viewers should brace themselves for even more.
Kentucky was not alone. Across America a record $4 billion was spent to gain favor with voters in the lead-up to Tuesday's elections. According to the Wesleyan Media Project, over $1 billion of that was spent on airing television commercials. In races for governor, U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, Americans were subjected to 2,221,879 airings of campaign ads. In Denver alone, voters sat through — or clicked away from — 78,000 campaign commercials. The ads were airing with such frequency that one local station had to turn a super-PAC away; it had run out of ad space. And in what's sure to be an even costlier election cycle in 2016, viewers should brace themselves for even more.
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