Democratic PAC Buys $1.2M of TV Ad Time in Philly
July 11, 2014
By Kate Hardiman
The Democratic House Majority Political Action Committee recently announced their third round of TV reservations.
The PAC has spent nearly $20M to date on air time, and the most recent purchase allocates $7.3 million across the country. Targeting 13 competitive areas including Boston, Champaign, Chicago, Denver, Des Moines, Manchester, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis, Tucson, and Washington D.C., the PAC hopes to gain the requisite 17 House seats for a Democratic majority.
With the midterm elections fast approaching and the President’s approval ratings underwater, party organizations are ensuring airtime for Democratic candidates in the most competitive districts.
In Pennsylvania, the House Majority PAC purchased $1.2M of air time for contenders in the Philadelphia region. It is unclear which individual campaigns the money will fund directly, as there are several districts within the region.
Philadelphia has received the second largest monetary chunk of the PAC’s air time expenditures to date, topped only by Phoenix, where the PAC is spending $1.3M.
The money could influence the races in PA-6 and PA-8.
In District 6, moderate Republican Jim Gerlach is retiring, and his district is considered to be highly competitive. Republican Ryan Costello and Democrat Manan Trivedi are competing for Gerlach’s seat.
In District 8, GOP member Mike Fitzpatrick hopes to keep the seat he has held since 2011. Democrats nationally have targeted Fitzpatrick each election cycle and this year Kevin Strouse will challenge the incumbent.
The Democratic Super PAC listed Fitzpatrick as one of ten “most vulnerable Republicans” whom they plan to target in 2014.
Alixandria Lapp, the group’s Executive Director summarized their hopes in a statement to the press.
“As races across the country start to shape up, it is clear that we are well-positioned to have a successful cycle. These early reservations will help our dollars go further and secure the air time we will need to pick up seats in November.”