1st CD voters saw a blitz of new campaign ads over the weekend ahead of the final full week before the Nov. 3 election.
The new buys include spots from the President Donald Trump-aligned No Going Back PAC and the pro-Democrat 314 Action PAC, as well as spots from both GOP U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil and Dem challenger Mitchell Berman.
AdImpact has tracked $7.3 million spent by Dem groups between the August primary and the Nov. 3 election and $13.4 million from GOP groups.
That includes $4.3 million from Dems over the final two weeks of the race and $5 million from Republicans.
The new ads since Friday are:
*A 30-second spot from Berman’s campaign where the candidate talks about his mom’s cancer diagnoses and the healthcare system’s failures, and takes a swipe at Steil voting to cut healthcare spending. That ad first ran Friday and is part of a seven-figure buy on digital, streaming and broadcast in Madison and Milwaukee, per a campaign spokesperson. AdImpact has tracked $40,497 spent on that ad as of yesterday afternoon.
*A 30-second spot from the Steil campaign featuring the Janesville Republican and his wife where he promises he’ll “always work for you and your family.” That spot first ran Friday; AdImpact has tracked $108,040 spent on it as of yesterday afternoon, including a combined $87,165 on Milwaukee broadcast and streaming.
*A 30-second spot from No Going Back PAC that says Berman supports “higher taxes for hard-working Wisconsin families” and “welfare for people who won’t work,” while Steil has “delivered a big middle-class tax cut.” The PAC on Friday reported $632,475 spent or reserved on TV and streaming opposing Berman, per FEC filings. AdImpact picked up the spot on the same day. Over half of the $45,165 spent on that spot has gone to Madison’s broadcast market as of yesterday afternoon.
*A 30-second spot from Steil where Kenosha County Sheriff Dave Zoerner says Mitchell Berman “would put our families in danger” and supports defunding the police. AdImpact as of yesterday afternoon has tracked $55,493 spent on that spot, including $47,095 on Milwaukee broadcast and streaming. The spot first ran Saturday.
*A 30-second spot from 314 Action that says Steil is “standing up for” data center developers while “you pay the price.” The PAC in FEC filings reported spending or reserving $1,002,240 on the spot Saturday, when it first ran. Most of its spending to date has gone to Milwaukee’s broadcast market, per AdImpact.
AdImpact also tracked for the first time Saturday an Americans 4 Security PAC spot that calls Berman a “sleazebag” and highlights his accounts he held on online dating platforms while married. Read more about that ad at Ad Watch.
