Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is swamping his state’s airwaves, far eclipsing rival Charlie Crist (D) in the sheer number of TV ads aired, data shows.
Why it matters: Advertising volume isn’t everything. But such a significant mismatch can spell trouble in the final leg of a campaign.
- DeSantis’ 15-to-1 advantage over Crist is by far the biggest discrepancy among statewide 2022 races with significant TV ad volume.
- That’s according to data from the Wesleyan Media Project, which measured TV aid “airings” — or the number of times ads were broadcast — from Sept. 5-18.
By the numbers: Texas saw the most ads aired for statewide political contests in that period. Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) ads aired more than 8.500 times. Challenger Beto O’Rourke’s (D) campaign got a significant assist from a new outside spender, Coulda Been Worse.
- On the Senate side, Wisconsin led the way in total ad airings over that two-week period. Challenger Mandela Barnes (D) and supportive outside groups narrowly bested Sen. Ron Johnson (R) and GOP independent spenders.