Democrats dominated spending
If Suozzi emerges victorious when the dust settles tonight, he may have his overwhelming financial advantage to thank. Suozzi and his Democratic allies outspent Pilip and her GOP backers on TV nearly 2-to-1, according to data from AdImpact. Overall, Team Blue ran $13.2 million worth of TV advertising — across broadcast, cable, satellite and streaming channels — compared to $7.7 million for Team Red.
Suozzi himself spent $3.85 million on TV, and was bolstered by $5.4 million from House Majority PAC, the main Democratic House super PAC, and $3.9 million from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Pilip bought just $200,000 in TV ads herself, but received significant support from the GOP Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC ($4.3 million), the National Republican Congressional Committee ($2.3 million) and $967,000 from Secure NYS PAC, a super PAC that won’t have to disclose most of its donors for another month.
Looking only at total dollars spent actually undersells the Democratic advantage on the airwaves. That’s because Suozzi’s campaign spent so much more than Pilip’s campaign, and candidates get much more favorable pricing for their ads than super PACs do. Democrats overall were able to air 6,964 gross ratings points (the metric professionals use to measure the reach of TV ads) compared to just 3,526 for Republicans.
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It’s no accident that Suozzi has been able to marshal more financial firepower than Pilip; according to the latest FEC filings, which covered a period ending Jan. 24, he outraised her by a factor of three. Suozzi is a fixture on the political scene and had the fundraising network of a three-term congressman and two-time gubernatorial candidate, while Pilip began the race as a little-known county legislator. That comparative advantage is probably a major reason party leaders picked Suozzi to begin with, and if he wins, it will look like a bet that paid off big.
—Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections