Rivals to spend €32m final week of campaigning
President George Bush, John Kerry and their political parties are spending nearly €32m TV adverts in the final week of the presidential campaign as they adjust their strategies in a shrinking battleground.
It’s a staggering amount, even considering the unprecedented level of advertising in the presidential race this year.
By November 2, the candidates and their parties will have spent more than €316m on TV and radio adverts since the air wars started in March. Independent liberal and conservative groups will have spent at least €79m.
Shifting their resources and their priorities, Bush is scaling back advertising in historically Democratic Maine, while Kerry is not slated to run any TV commercials in Republican-leaning Colorado this week. It’s a signal that both are all but abandoning their bids to put those states back in their win columns. Four years ago, Bush won Colorado and Democrat Al Gore won Maine.
Kerry, in a show of confidence, also is cutting his spending in Michigan and Oregon, both won by Gore in 2000.
The president plans to roll out new adverts focusing on the war on terror and the economy, and close his campaign with an emotional appeal for his re-election, aides said. Kerry plans a final series of ads in which he offers messages hopeful about the future and sharply critical of Bush.
In the final week, Bush, Kerry and their parties are to continue focusing the bulk of their money and attention on nine toss-up states: Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada and Minnesota.
Overall, Bush and the Republican National Committee plan to run about €14.4m worth of advertisements for the next week, while Kerry and his party are slated to spend roughly €15.8m
The candidates and their parties still could add money to their buys as they shift resources in the final week.
Polls show the race extraordinarily tight and both sides are massaging their state-by-state strategies to determine how to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to claim the White House.
Voting is next Tuesday, November 2.
