Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. Among other things, it discusses party organizations and campaign finance.
Kamala Harris' election campaign spent nearly three times as much money as her rival Donald Trump did in August, pressing the Democrat's financial advantage ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, according to financial disclosures filed on Friday.
The two campaigns are entering the final stretch of an extremely tight presidential contest. Harris, the U.S. Vice President who launched her campaign in July when President Joe Biden ended his own re-election bid and endorsed her, disclosed to the Federal Election Commission spending of $174 million last month. Former Republican President Trump's campaign separately reported outlays of $61 million.Shane Goldmacher and Nicholas Nehamas at NYT:
Vice President Kamala Harris outspent former President Donald J. Trump by 20 to 1 on Facebook and Instagram in the week surrounding their debate, capitalizing on the moment to plaster battleground states with ads and to hunt for new donors nationwide.
The lopsided spending — $12.2 million to $611,228 on Meta’s platforms, according to company records — was hardly an outlier. Ever since Ms. Harris entered the race, her campaign has overwhelmed the Trump operation with an avalanche of digital advertising, outspending his by tens of millions of dollars and setting off alarm among some Republicans.
Four years ago Mr. Trump, then holding the White House, drastically outspent Democrats online early in the election cycle in hopes of gaining an advantage. Now Mr. Trump, facing a cash shortfall, is making a very different bet that emphasizes the unique appeal of his online brand, the durability of a donor list built over nearly a decade and his belief in the power of television.
The difference was especially stark on screens across the most contested battlegrounds in the week surrounding the debate. In Pennsylvania, Ms. Harris spent $1.3 million on Meta’s platforms, compared with $22,465 by Mr. Trump. In Michigan, she laid out $1.5 million, while he spent only $34,790.
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Mr. Trump is also being outspent on television — but by smaller margins. Part of that spending emphasis reflects Mr. Trump’s own worldview. Mr. Trump, who starred in the network television show “The Apprentice,” has said privately that he thinks digital spending is a waste and has urged his campaign to spend more on TV, according to a person who has heard him make such remarks and insisted on anonymity to discuss his private comments.
The 78-year-old Trump hasn't gotten the word that Americans are turning away from linear TV.
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