President Donald Trump’s campaign spent more money in three months on advertisements with Fox News than it did for local TV in three battleground states, according to an ad-tracking firm.
Advertising Analytics determined the campaign spent $9.4 million Fox News national ads for June, July and August and $8.3 million for local broadcast TV in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, Politico reported. This comes as polls, such as a CNBC poll released Wednesday, finds Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to be up in multiple swing states.
Biden currently holds a narrow lead in Michigan, Wisconsin and some other states, the CNBC poll found. Despite this, Trump has opted to focus on Fox News viewers over advertising to local TV – although, as Politico reported, Fox News boasts the biggest audience numbers on cable and therefore will likely include some voters on the fence in these states.
“The data shows that a lot of independents watch Fox News, so the first thing I always do is max out on Fox News,” said Brad Todd, a Republican media consultant, told Politico. (RELATED: Latest FEC Filings Show Trump Victory Committee Spending $401,163.60 At Trump Properties In 1 Month)
“the Trump campaign spent more money on national ads on Fox News in June, July and August ($9.4 million) than it spent on local broadcast TV in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin ($8.3 million)” https://t.co/mmspLhHfEP
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) September 9, 2020
The president’s campaign also spent $9.7 million to advertise in Pennsylvania, which proved to be an important state in the 2016 election. Comparatively, Biden spent a total of $35.3 million to advertise on TV in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan over three months. Biden’s advertising in Minnesota began recently.
“The Trump campaign has been in key states across the country for years connecting directly with voters about the successes of President Trump’s America First agenda, and we’ll continue to spread that message and inform the American people about Joe Biden’s destructive, socialist agenda both on the ground and on the airwaves,” Samantha Zager, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement, according to Politico.