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Obama winning ad wars in region: Illinois senator far outspending all other hopefuls
[February 17, 2008]

Obama winning ad wars in region: Illinois senator far outspending all other hopefuls


(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 17--If you feel you can't escape Barack Obama any time you turn on the TV, there's a reason for that.

The Democratic presidential contender is far outspending any other candidate on television ads in southeastern Wisconsin.

As of Friday, Obama had bought more than 850 ads -- costing his campaign about $400,000 -- on the four network stations in Milwaukee through election day. His ad buy includes a two-minute spot that will run during the 10 p.m. news Monday night.



His campaign has gone beyond the traditional slots for campaign ads, pouring money into airtime during Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams and Ellen DeGeneres' talk shows. These programs target female audiences, the core supporters of Obama's rival, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Overall, Obama has spent nearly twice as much in the Milwaukee market as the three other presidential candidates combined. All of the candidates bought their ad time after Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.


"That's very substantial," said Mark Graul, a Republican strategist who headed President Bush's Wisconsin re-election efforts in 2004. "It's probably on par with the final push for a gubernatorial campaign or past presidential (races).

"You see this level of advertising in the last week of October, the first week of November."

Not usually in the middle of February, which points to the importance Wisconsin plays in this year's Democratic presidential primary.

Ken Goldstein, a professor who tracks presidential campaign ads through his Wisconsin Advertising Project, said Obama is ramping up his TV time in Milwaukee as the primary election nears.

"I think he's going for the knockout punch," said Goldstein, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor.

Records provided by the four Milwaukee stations show that Clinton has bought about $117,000 in political ads for the Milwaukee market through election day.

On the Republican side, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee spent nearly $73,000 for commercials in Milwaukee, while GOP front-runner John McCain paid out over $24,000.

Ads appearing often

The numbers may not be exact, but experts say the typical TV viewer in southeastern Wisconsin can expect to see Obama's ads around 30 times. Clinton can expect the average viewer to see her campaign ads 10 times before voting.

Sachin Chheda, a Democratic consultant not involved in either campaign, called Clinton's media buy "normal and strong" for a primary but still far behind Obama. Chheda based his analysis on the number of spots bought and the timing of the ads.

The good thing for the former first lady, he said, is that many voters are following the race very closely, so campaign advertising might not be as important as in most races.

Over the past year and a half, Obama has visited the state to stump for Gov. Jim Doyle, who has endorsed him, and held fund-raisers in Madison and Milwaukee. He has raised $583,523 from Wisconsin residents through Dec. 31, compared with $180,583 for Clinton.

"If she's not writing Wisconsin off, it's clearly not a major priority," said public relations executive Evan Zeppos, a Democrat who has not committed to any candidate.

Goldstein noted that Obama is not only running TV ads during daytime talk shows but is also paying for spots on Charlie Sykes' conservative radio program.

In doing this, Goldstein said, Obama's campaign may be targeting women and independents. Or, Goldstein said, the candidate may have simply run out of other times to air his ads.

Given Obama's media blitz, Clinton has assumed the role of underdog in Wisconsin.

"A huge win for Barack Obama here in Wisconsin would really be significant," Goldstein said. "On the other hand, if Hillary Clinton wins, or keeps it incredibly close, here we go again."

To see more of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.jsonline.com.

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