Trump outspends Clinton campaign on television ads for first time
With just 20 days to go until the general election, Donald Trump has surpassed Hillary Clinton for the first time this election cycle in television ad spending this week.
The Republican presidential nominee’s campaign is doling out $14 million on TV advertising, while Clinton is spending $10 million, according to a CNN report of Kantar Media’s political ad tracking numbers.
That number doesn’t necessarily mean more ads, however. As CBS News’ Major Garrett pointed out last month when the Trump campaign first announced its increased advertising budget, the campaign was booking spots so late in the election season that rates were more costly than Clinton’s ad purchases, scheduled much earlier in the campaign.
But pro-Clinton spending still outpaces that of groups supporting Trump. CNN found that super PACs and other organizations boosting the Democratic nominee are buying up $19.7 million worth of ads this week, compared to just $2.5 million from groups backing Trump. A majority of the pro-Trump money comes from the National Rifle Association’s political arm.
For the majority of the campaign, Clinton has outstripped her opponent’s television advertising budget. Her campaign has spent a total of $158 million this general election season, while Trump, who only began advertising in mid-August, has spent just $44 million.
The surge in Trump advertising this week comes just as the real estate magnate has lost ground in polls measuring support in battleground states and nationwide, and just as Trump gets to face off against Clinton in the final presidential debate before the general election.