TV Spending On Colorado Governor's Race At Least $1.5 Million
DENVER (AP) — Political campaigns have spent at least $1.5 million so far trying to influence the outcome of this year's governor's race between incumbent Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and Republican Bob Beauprez, according to research released Wednesday.
The non-partisan Center for Public Integrity reviewed data about political advertising on national cable and broadcast television in all of the country's 210 media markets. The organization used research from Kantar Media/CMAG, which tracks political advertising and offers a widely accepted estimate of the money spent to air each spot.
These figures only represent part of the money spend on political advertising. They do not include the money spent on ads on radio, online and direct mail, as well television ads on local cable systems or the cost of producing the messages. That means the total cost of spending on political ads can be significantly higher.
The data is current to Sept. 8. So in Colorado, it doesn't include television advertising spent by Hickenlooper, who first went on the air after that date and whose campaign is budgeting $2.2 million on ads. It also doesn't include spending from the Democratic Governors Association, which has said it has reserved more than $3 million for ads. The spending data includes ads during the Republican gubernatorial primary. Here's a breakdown by group:
— The Republican Governors Association has spent $913,800 on ads attacking Hickenlooper.
— Protect Colorado Values, a Democrat-funded group, spent about $213,000 to influence the Republican gubernatorial primary, using $112,600 in negative ads against Beauprez, and $100,400 in negative ads against former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo.
— Beauprez's campaign has spent $158,100 on ads, with $89,600 attacking Hickenlooper, and $68,500 on commercials in support of himself.
— Making Colorado Great, a Democrat-supported group, has spent $86,400 attacking Beauprez.
— Secretary of State Scott Gessler, a GOP gubernatorial primary candidate, spent $58,700 in ads against Beauprez and Tancredo.
— Republicans Who Want To Win spent $22,400 on ads against Tancredo during the GOP primary.
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