Posted on 02/17/2012 10:23:21 PM PST by Red Steel
A central strength most pundits (including this one) have cited when describing Mitt Romney as the Republican front-runner is money: He has it, his opponents do not.
The 20 days leading up to Super Tuesday will show whether we were right. Romney and a super PAC that backs his campaign are about to embark on an all-out television blitz aimed at tearing down Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, an assault that already adds up to more than $5 million in key primary states -- and there are few signs either of Romney's rivals have the financial ability to respond.
Ad buy data we've obtained from sources keeping an eye on the race show both Romney's campaign and Restore Our Future, the pro-Romney super PAC, are buying much more television time than previously thought. Restore Our Future will spend a total of $1.25 million in Michigan in the two weeks leading up to the state's February 28 primary; Romney's campaign is augmenting that with $617,000 in Michigan ads this week, though they haven't bought time next week yet.
(The amount each candidate has reserved on MI TV this week, according to Hotline sources:
2/14-20 Det G/K F/S Lan T/C Mar Alp Cable Total Romney $292K $126K $52K $65K $35K $47K $617K ROF $180K $80K $48K $53K $57K $21K $27K $155K $623K Santorum $42K $42K
Notes on markets: Det is Detroit. G/K is Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. F/S is Flint and Saginaw. Lan is Lansing. T/C is Traverse City. Mar is Marquette. Alp is Alpena. ROF is the pro-Romney Restore Our Future. The pro-Santorum Red White and Blue Fund has not purchased MI ad time.)
Restore Our Future is also placing big advertising bets on Arizona ($121,000 this week, $493,000 next week); Ohio ($112,000 this week, $634,000 next week); Tennessee ($108,000 this week, $426,000 next week); Oklahoma ($36,000 this week, $199,000 next week); and Georgia ($119,000 this week, $554,000 next week.
All told, the Romney-backing PAC is spending $5 million on television advertising over the next two weeks, an incredible amount usually reserved for the final days of a general election campaign, not a primary battle.
And at the moment, they appear to have the playing field to themselves. Neither the pro-Santorum Red White and Blue Fund nor the pro-Gingrich Winning Our Future are up with advertisements of their own, leading some to wonder whether the billionaire benefactors who have bankrolled those PACs have decided to sit on their hands (Winning Our Future spent $69,000 on cable ads last week, but Red White and Blue Fund hasn't bought any advertisements since spending $126,000 in Minnesota, a state that held its contest on February 4).
But Romney apparently needs the money to take down his rivals. A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows Santorum leading Romney by seven points in Ohio; a Mason-Dixon poll conducted for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows Gingrich leading Romney by 14 points; and several less-reliable IVR polls show Santorum leading in Michigan.
Romney and his allies have the financial advantage to dominate the conversation over the next several weeks. As it turns out, he'll need it.
As of now, Myth buys are up to $7.7 million bucks
The funds raised in these FReepathons go to pay our current quarter expenses. But we're also going to try to replace some of our older servers and failing equipment this year so we're going to add a little extra to our FReepathon goals. John is estimating ten to fifteen thousand to do this and I'd like to get it all in place and working before the election cycle is fully heated up, so we'll try to bring in a little extra now, if we can, and the rest next quarter.
Jim Robinson
The commie libs in the state run “media” are raking in the dough. They should really be able to clean up between now and November. Elections are the only thing that keeps them going.
He and Obozzo both suck big time!
Seems to me that the ratly media will then recycle these receipts to bankroll Obama’s own thrust, killing two birds of paradise with one golden stone.
Even in spite of the money storm, however, if Santorum is added to Newt the pair still is beating Romney.
These guys are serious.
I don’t know what’s more woeful. Romney for buying the sh*tstorm, or the people for buying its lies from Romney.
Romney is after the position, not after a policy. It fulfills a Mormon desire among other things. Not that being a Mormon of itself makes a person unfit to be a President. This is not the issue. The issue is about when it propels a cipher, this time a GOP cipher, into power. It would be marginally better than a continuation of the Obama cipher, but it would still stink and would not bode well for the GOP name brand going into the future.
That's as good a description as anybody will come up with.
That doesn't include staff for several different depts, travel...the whole ball of wax.
He's got his own little Olympic Committee, or maybe a big one.
Anyone know how this compares to the past? I'm going to start looking...
Romney has no choice, he has to do this or risk losing everything by Super Tuesdsay.
New Polling is showing him tied in Arizona, behind in Michigan, and doing god awful in most of the Super Tuesday states. If those numbers hold, his candidacy is over.
I’ve seen his commercials against Santorom...pure horse shit.
Willard should be disqualified for the nomination because of his lack of character, as evidenced in this primary season. He makes Bill and Hillary Clinton look like good sports by the way they handled themselves in the ‘08 primaries against Obama. The Democrat nominee was able to win because they had not damaged Obama’s chances. If Romney loses the nomination, he and his cohorts don’t care if the GOP loses in the fall. He is one selfish SOB.
I’m seeing Romney’s anti-Santorum ads here in Virginia, where Romney and Ron Paul are the only two on the primary ballot! I have no idea why Willard is wasting money here, but I hope he continues to do so, and throws a truckload down this particular rat hole. :)
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