Mad Money: TV ads in the 2012 presidential campaign
Team Obama and Team Romney have spent millions flooding the airwaves in key battleground states with (mostly negative) TV ads aimed at converting voters to their side. This page shows where each side is focusing its message and how spending has changed over time.
Money spent on ads supporting:
Barack Obama
Spent $ million
50% spent on negative ads
Mitt Romney
Spent $ million
50% spent on negative ads
Ad spots by television market
The presidential campaigns -- along with their allied parties and interest groups -- have focused their television advertising in media markets reaching voters in the most competitive swing states.
Florida, the biggest and most expensive battleground, has gotten the most spending. That's quickly followed by Ohio and Virginia, two medium-sized states that are among the most competitive. Iowa, Nevada, Colorado and North Carolina have seen high numbers of ads, but less spending because airtime is cheaper in areas with smaller populations.
Highest spending by state
| In millions ($) | Total | Dem. | Rep. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Weekly spending in top 10 states
Spending trends show a drop around the time of both parties' nominating conventions, though much more dramatically for Republicans. Spending in Colorado dropped following the July 20 mass shooting in that state.
Roll over the chart to see ad spending by state and how it's changed since April 11, the day after Rick Santorum dropped out of the Republican primaries. As states become more or less competitive, the campaigns and interest groups may shift spending in or out based on their judgements of where it's needed most.
More pro-Obama spending
More pro-Romney spending
NOTE: All data since April 11, 2012, the day after Rick Santorum dropped out of the Republican primaries. Spending shown here is an estimate based on the typical cost of television airtime. Maps and state-by-state analysis show broadcast ads bought at the local level. National broadcast and cable spending are included in the overall totals, but data on cable ads bought locally is unavailable.
SOURCE: Kantar Media/CMAG. GRAPHIC: Wilson Andrews, Dan Keating and Karen Yourish - The Washington Post.
This is version two of the campaign ads project. To see an archive of version one, click here. Please email us with questions or suggestions.
