What the candidates are spending on TV ads in key states this week

[WI_DEM]

Last week's results in parentetheis (in thousands)



Obama McCain RNC
CO 825 (923) 597 (647) 83 (-)
FL 4,156 (4,330) 1,035 (1,154) 282 (-)
IA 402 (376) 445 (434) - (-)
IL - (-) 19 (1) - (-)
IN 1,476 (1,804) - (-) 457 (360)
ME 187 (154) 47 (37) 39 (82)
MI 415 (1,583) - (-) - (104)
MN 483 (560) 612 (531) - (-)
MO 1,110 (1,141) 557 (674) 123 (-)
MT 152 (173) - (-) - (-)
NC 1,119 (1,208) 998 (833) 340 (-)
NH 681 (470) 126 (118) - (-)
NM 342 (401) 250 (297) - (-)
NV 862 (878) 457 (416) - (-)
OH 2,031 (2,362) 966 (816) 698 (540)
PA 2,970 (3,337) 1,811 (1,780) 255 (425)
VA 2,877 (3,305) 326 (285) 342 (278)
WI 1,119 (1,189) 603 (622) 66 (196)
WV 79 (34) 45 (59) 46 (33)
Cable 4,062 (1,377) 45 (4) - (-)
National 5,669 (6,633) 76 (90) 7 (-)
Total 31,060 (32,242) 9,016 (8,800) 2,738 (2,498)

www.dailykos.com

Obama edged up his spending in New Hampshire and West Virginia, but otherwise either held steady or slightly decreased his state-targeted advertising. On the other hand, he tripled his spending on Cable, much of it probably geo-targeted to key zip codes around the country. He kept his national advertising high, even as he decreased that spending by almost $1 million.
Overall, Obama's spending decreased slightly. Given his $150M fundraising month in September, it wasn't from a lack of cash. Maybe the campaign is moving its investments into smarter plays.
Obama has amped up his spending statewide in West Virginia. Previously, his advertising seemed directed at markets that bled into Ohio and Pennsylvania. McCain's spending in WV is all geared outside the state, though the RNC is focusing all its WV spending in Charleston, meaning that the national party was tasked with locking down the state against Obama's efforts to poach it.
Florida is still Obama's biggest spending target, by far. Pennsylvania is McCain's.
McCain is still pissing away about $2 million in Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Wisconsin -- states he's not competitive in. Word yesterday was that McCain was reducing his ad spending in Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin, suggesting that he's finally realized those states are a lost cause. Now McCain can't pull out of them, lest his entire operation collapse form crushed morale (Michigan killed them), but he's basically going to take next week's spending and drag it out for the remainder of the campaign. I'm sure they wish they could take that $2-3 million they're spending in those lost states and dump it into Pennsylvania, but it would sink their ship. They'll have to eat those costs.
Speaking of Michigan, their withdrawal is complete. Not only is the state safely Blue now, but it saved Obama over $1 million in advertising costs. He might as well maintain some spending there to help boost turnout -- important for the popular vote margin and to generate the coattails to flip at least two House seats.
McCain's spending in Illinois is in the Quincy market, which bleeds over into Missouri.
Obama is still playing in Montana, but not in the Dakotas. Those are cheap states. I'm glad he's still playing in Montana -- it's winnable -- and I hope he goes in the Dakotas, also winnable.
And Georgia. And Mississippi. And while Obama is supposedly back in Nebraska, this ad tracking service didn't catch any Obama advertising activity.
The RNC has something like $77 million cash on hand. If they're not spending it on an ad blitz these final weeks, what exactly are they spending it on (other than Sarah Palin's wardrobe)? I'll have to carve out some time to dig into the RNC's latest FEC report.

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. For all those worried about PA

PA
Obama 2,970,000 (3,337,000)
McCain: 1,811,000 (1,780,000)
RNC: 255 (425)

The Obama and RNC numbers say it all.