Welcome back to CBMG. Today’s Weekend Edition post profiles the independent expenditures filed with the FEC over Saturday and Sunday. In keeping with last week’s increases in political spending, groups disclosed significantly more cash than we usually see over the weekend. Additionally, continuing another trend from the last week, the relative share of Presidential-oriented disclosures declined in comparison to Senate and House spending. High-profile congressionally-focused pro-Republican groups dominated the spending.
The quick hits for September 22nd & 23rd:
The Roundup: $3.79 million in political spending disclosed by 13 groups seeking to influence over 25 federal elections.
The Big Spender: The Young Guns groups (YG Action Fund, YG Network) saddled up over the weekend and ponied up over $1 million for TV ads and mailers opposing 4 democrat candidates for the House - Mark Critz (D-PA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), John Barrow (D-GA) and John Tierney (D-MA). Young Guns groups have increased their IE presence of late, filing disclosures with the FEC in 3 of the past 4 days. Two other prominent pro-Republican groups, Freedomworks for America and the Congressional Leadership Fund, spent heavily, disclosing $756K and $638K respectively. A frequent big spender and pro-Democrat group, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, spent over $500 opposing Republican House candidates.
Cashing In: National Media Public Affairs earned $958K over the weekend with American Media & Advocacy Group not far behind, pocketing $947K. Over the past month, NMPA received $4.5 million from YG Action Fund and the American Chemistry Council. AMAG has earned nearly $3.4 million over the past 4 months from American Action Network and the Congressional Leadership Fund.
House or Senate? The House. House elections attracted $2.6 million, Senate races only $1 million.
The Hotspot: Ohio. Outside spending groups targeted elections in the Buckeye State with $917K. Groups also spend heavily in Pennsylvania ($555K) and Florida ($595K).
The High Striker: The Republicans. Pro-Republican groups disclosed $2.9 million over the weekend. Democrat groups disclosed over $890K. In a modest disparity, for every dollar disclosed by the Dems, Reps spent $3.25.
For your viewing pleasure, the disclosure summary table for Saturday and Sunday.
