Politics & Government
In New Hampshire, Democratic Contenders Spend Big On TV Ads
The candidates are running hundreds of spots per day in the Granite State heading into the last full week before the New Hampshire primary.
CONCORD, NH — Heading into the final full week before the pivotal New Hampshire primary, presidential hopefuls had spent an estimated $29.81 million on advertising in the television markets serving the state.
The data includes spending in New Hampshire, as well as Massachusetts and Maine, where candidates often advertise on stations that broadcast into the Granite State. The number is expected to spike this week and top $100 million, the record set on New Hampshire television advertising spending in 2016.
Using data from Kantar/Campaign Media Analysis that was first published by the news site FiveThirtyEight, Patch compiled a list of all television spending by all candidates through Jan. 31. Leading the way on the Democratic side was Tom Steyer, whose New Hampshire advertising spending was nearly three times that of Michael Bloomberg, the next highest candidate on the list.
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Steyer has been airing at least 1,000 television spots per week since July and has pledged to spend $100 million of his own money on his campaign. In addition to the $15.1 million he has spent in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, Steyer has focused his advertising strategy on Iowa, where caucuses will be held Tuesday, and in Nevada and South Carolina, the other early primary states.
A notable name on the other end of the list is Joe Biden, who has not bought ads on local stations serving New Hampshire. Biden has instead spent $3.32 million on national ads, with some ads in Iowa and nearby states.
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While there are 17 candidates on the ballot for the Republican primary, only President Donald Trump and Matt Matern has spent money on television advertising in New Hampshire. Trump spent $150,000 on television ads in New Hampshire and another $54,000 in Maine. Matern has spent $7,200 to air an ad eight times in New Hampshire over the past week.
The complete list of estimated spending on New Hampshire primary television ads as of Jan. 31 by all candidates follows:
| Candidate | NH Ad Spending | MA Ad Spending | ME Ad Spending | Total |
| Tom Steyer | $2.88 Million | $12.20 million | $23,000 | $15.1 million |
| Michael Bloomberg | $120,000 | $4.21 million | $1.44 million | $5.77 million |
| Bernie Sanders | $990,000 | $1.42 million | $660,000 | $3.07 million |
| Andrew Yang | $1.12 million | $1.49 million | $92,000 | $2.70 million |
| Pete Buttigieg | $400,000 | $900,000 | $0 | $1.3 million |
| Amy Klobuchar | $430,000 | $0 | $0 | $430,000 |
| Kirsten Gillibrand | $200,000 | $210,000 | $0 | $410,000 |
| Elizabeth Warren | $320,000 | $0 | $13,000 | $333,000 |
| Tulsi Gabbard | $230,000 | $0 | $52,000 | $282,000 |
| Donald Trump | $150,000 | $0 | $54,000 | $204,000 |
| John Delaney | $85,000 | $0 | $0 | $85,000 |
| Michael Bennett | $59,000 | $0 | $0 | $59,000 |
| Joe Sestak | $42,000 | $15,000 | $0 | $57,000 |
| Matt Matern | $7,200 | $0 | $0 | $7,200 |
| Joe Biden | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Cory Booker | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Steve Bullock | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Julian Castro | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Mike Gravel | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Kamala Harris | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $7.03 million | $20.45 million | $2.33 million | $29.81 million |
In December, Advertising Analytics, a nonpartisan firm that tracks the ad industry, estimated that political advertising spending would be close to $6 billion in 2020. Spending on broadcast and cable television ads is expected to be twice as much as the amount spent in 2016. Candidates are also expected to spend $1.6 billion on digital advertising.
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