OR-GOV: As TV ads get started, who leads in cash?
Kari Chisholm
With just about a week to go before ballots are mailed to voters, we should expect the airwaves to start getting saturated with gubernatorial campaign ads this weekend and early next week. A few TV ads have already been rolled out, but there hasn't been much money spent yet.
The campaigns are now in seven-day reporting, which means that the campaign finance data found at ORESTAR is only about a week behind. (Normally, it's 30-day reporting, but it shifts to seven days close to the election.)
So, this is a good time to check in - and see who's got the war chest to go on the air in a big way.
Allen Alley has raised $500k and has spent nearly all of it. Alley has around $12k to spend. Yikes.
John Lim has raised $92k and spent $46k. Lim has around $48k to spend.
Bill Bradbury has raised $438k and spent $379k. Bradbury has around $63k to spend.
As NW Republican noted yesterday, Chris Dudley is burning through cash at an amazing $100,000/month pace - before doing any voter contact. He's raised $1.29 million, and spent $918k - and has another $101k in unpaid bills. Dudley's got $276k to spend.
John Kitzhaber has raised $1.18 million and spent $611k. Kitzhaber has around $575k to spend - leading the pack.
Obviously, different campaigns do things differently - and these are never quite apples-to-apples comparisons while in the heat of battle. But it sure does look like Kitzhaber's been marshaling his resources. Thoughts?
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1:39 a.m.
Apr 22, '10
[Full disclosure: My firm built John Kitzhaber's campaign website, but I speak only for myself.]
6:33 a.m.
Apr 22, '10
I'm a big believer that, where campaign spending is concerned, the key number is how much is spent on voter contact. Almost everything else is irrelevant to the outcome.
The irony here is that the candidate who seems to have the most money for voter contact is the one who needs it the least.
7:36 a.m.
Apr 22, '10
This might be a silly question, but what is included in "voter contact"? Does this mean contacting voters personally (via phone or face-to-face), or does this include radio and television ads?
9:54 a.m.
Apr 22, '10
It typically means mail, tv, radio, face-to-face, anything that puts your name/message in front of the voters.
9:01 a.m.
Apr 22, '10
Governor Kitzhaber has been in Medford twice meeting with educators and school board members, including RCC/SOU. He has also met with regional economic development folks and business leaders. I recieved a very detailed plan for future K-16 reform. He may have been in Jackson County more often. I just attended the two meetings mentioned.
12:15 p.m.
Apr 22, '10
i really dont care what candidate raises the most money.whats important to me is they have a plan to get the private sector back to work and oregons economy going again which kitzhaber and bradbury have no plan to do.
5:08 p.m.
Apr 22, '10
Kitzhaber's jobs plan: http://www.johnkitzhaber.com/media/uploads/kitzhaber_jobs_plan.pdf
Bradbury's economic solutions: http://www.bradbury2010.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Final8Solutions.pdf
1:36 a.m.
Apr 24, '10
Kitzhauber's $10,000 a piece corporate favor contributions add up faster than the $20s and $50s of individuals who believe Bill Bradbury will be the best Governor Oregon ever had. Bill knows we need job training and new jobs that pay. An attractive work force brings in big companies like the largest solar manufacturer in the US that just moved here waiting for you to apply. His Bank of Oregon will help pay for training and make it happen. Being slaves to Kitzhauber's cozy corporations will never get Oregon out of the bread line.
9:48 p.m.
Apr 22, '10
I wonder how many readers have ever made a political decision based on a TV spot. I wonder how many don't even watch network TV. We know how most pols think that money to spend on commercial spots is equivalent to winning. Add all that together and you have a nice, constant, reminder that the people who elect the candidates are nothing like ourselves.
3:13 a.m.
Apr 23, '10
Have to wonder.. some candidates have huge cash while others do not... one criteria a voter should consider is how "little" a candidate spends (wastes) to drive his campaign. Some spend huge amounts on personal coaches, focus groups, special training, debate prep, hire expensive managers, etc. So AN Allen Alley appears on the scene, takes a walk across OR without all of the whistles n bells, no "expensive coaches to tell him what to say and not say and how to say it and how to dress, only spends and only raises what he needs to spend and no more should signal to voters, this man would make a great administrator and practices what he preaches.