Wolf dominating recent TV ad volume in Pa.
A snapshot of television ad spending in the Pennsylvania governor's race shows Democrat Tom Wolf outspending Gov. Corbett (R) by a ratio of 3 to 1 this week.
Democrat Tom Wolf is swamping Gov. Tom Corbett (R) nearly 3 to 1 on television sets across Pennsylvania this week, according to tracking reports of the campaigns' purchase of advertising time.
If that continues, it may become difficult for Corbett to take advantage of what polls show is a solidifying GOP base and begin to eat into Wolf's double-digit lead. (The latest available campaign-finance reports showed that the challenger ended September with a $1.7 million cash advantage over the governor.)
"It's an article of faith in Pennsylvania politics that if the Democrat can spend evenly with a Republican in a Senate or governor's race, they're likely to win given the registration advantage," said lawyer Shanin Specter, a key strategist in the campaigns of his late father, Sen. Arlen Specter, the Republican-turned-Democrat.
"Tom Wolf's spending margin is astounding," Specter said.
Overall, for Oct. 7 through Oct. 13, the Wolf campaign has bought $1,077,179 worth of time in the state's six main television markets. Corbett's campaign bought a total of $389,000 worth of time in the six markets, plus Youngstown-Warren, Ohio, which reaches part of western Pennsylvania. (Note: TV buys can change during the week).
In the period between Sept. 30 and October 6, Wolf outspent Corbett on TV by a little less than a 2 to 1 margin - $907,198 to $467,300. The Democrat's buy that week was heavily weighted to Pittsburgh and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The governor's team spent $467,300, with a tilt toward the Philadelphia market.
Here are the breakdowns by market for the current week (Note GRP stands for "gross ratings points," an estimate of the number of times an ad is seen by a typical TV viewer, used to sell advertising.)::
Tom Corbett
10/8-10/14
Total: $389K
:30s
Philadelphia- 270 GRPs/ $130K
Pittsburgh- 570 GRPs/ $92K
Wilkes-Barre- 705 GRPs/ $50K
Harrisburg- 520 GRPs/ $59K
Johnstown- 420 GRPs/ $30K
Youngstown-Warren- 10 GRPs/ $287
Erie- 440 GRPs/ $27K
Tom Wolf
10/7-10/13
Updated Total: $1,077,179
:30s
Philadelphia- 1040 GRPs/ $496K
Pittsburgh- 1450 GRPs/ $237K
Erie- 640 GRPs/ $40K
Wilkes-Barre- 1410 GRPs/ $100K
Harrisburg- 1190 GRPs/ $136K
Johnstown- 930 GRPs/ $68K