A key trend has emerged across gubernatorial primaries this year: TV ads still matter.
Former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell lost the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday in Minnesota despite being endorsed by President Donald Trump, after his campaign spent nothing on TV or digital ads, according to spending data from AdImpact, which tracks political advertising.
Meanwhile, Minnesota state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who won the GOP primary, spent $467,000 on TV and radio ads and benefited from another $2 million in outside spending across TV, radio and digital.
In the Democratic gubernatorial primary in neighboring Wisconsin, democratic socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong is underperforming polls and expectations after spending very little on traditional advertising. Her campaign spent roughly $100,000 on connected TV ads — generally streaming services — and another $135,000 on digital. An outside group spent another $219,000 on her behalf, all on digital.
Meanwhile two outside groups backing late reentrant David Crowley spent a combined $3.3 million, mostly on TV, while the Milwaukee County executive’s own campaign spent nearly $900,000, AdImpact data shows.
Leading your opponents on the airwaves has proven to be a fruitful tactic for other gubernatorial candidates this cycle. In Georgia, health care CEO Rick Jackson spent a whopping $92 million on ads, propelling him to victory in a GOP primary and runoff. That total was nearly three times the total spend from his closest opponent, Lt. Gov Burt Jones, who, like Lindell, was endorsed by Trump.
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