Reid Wilson writes at National Journal:
So far, American Crossroads has purchased more than $39.8 million in advertising across at least 10 states between Labor Day and Election Day. The inundation of advertising will come in states that are battlegrounds both in the White House race and the tussle over control of the U.S. Senate, according to sources watching the advertising market.
Between September 4 and November 5, American Crossroads has purchased more than $10 million in advertising in Florida; more than $7 million in Ohio; nearly as much in Virginia; more than $3 million in Colorado; $4 million in North Carolina; $3 million in Iowa; and more than $2 million each in New Hampshire and Nevada, the group will announce today.
Beyond the presidential figures, Crossroads GPS – the 501(c)(4) arm of American Crossroads, which does not have to disclose its donors – is spending $800,000 on advertising during the final two months before Election Day in North Dakota.
Most of the money looks geared toward the presidential contest. But there is ample evidence suggesting American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS are buying time to advertise in Senate contests. The groups use two separate vendors to purchase television time: One company also purchases advertising time for Restore Our Future, the super PAC backing presidential nominee Mitt Romney. To avoid improper coordination, buys that firm places are geared toward Senate contests instead of the presidential, according to sources in the advertising industry.Maggie Haberman writes at Politico:
The American Action Network, the center-right issue advocacy group co-founded by former Sen. Norm Coleman, is devoting a minimum of $10 million to establishing a legislation-focused ground game in a number of states where there are competitive House races but state parties with little ability to provide a lift, POLITICO has learned.
The group, one of the key outside forces on the right, is one of the organizations helping out in the so-called “orphan” states, with weak state parties but races that are key to holding and expanding the Republican majority in the House. They are pairing up, state by state, with existing groups on the ground to develop, over time, a comprehensive ground game that includes phones, offices, voter data and registration drives.
“We wanted to build something to serve as a counterbalance to the folks on the left,” Brian Walsh, president of AAN, said in an interview. “It has always been a focus of ours.”
The move is part of building out a broader, issues-specific grassroots network with endurance. But in 2012, the AAN build-up will serve a simultaneous purpose of working in targeted House districts. As of now, AAN already has several people on the ground in specific districts, such as Rep. Nan Hayworth’s in New York, and congressional districts 10 and 11 in Illinois.
They are committing a baseline figure of $10 million to the project, which is being done through the network as issue advocacy, and not through its affiliated super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is devoted entirely to House races. Still, the focus on orphan states, officials note, has been a major priority of House Speaker John Boehner for months, as has fundraising for the CLF.
