Political ad buys hit $1.7 million
And that's only at three TV stations in the Portland market as the gubernatorial candidates vie for votes.
By Matt Wickenheiser mwickenheiser@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
PORTLAND - Gubernatorial candidates have spent almost $1.7 million for political ads on southern Maine's three primary televisions stations.
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Less than a week from Tuesday's primaries, viewers can rarely flip on WGME, WCSH or WMTW without seeing a Republican or a Democrat explaining why they should get your vote.
Democrats haven't advertised on WGME, citing a labor dispute. But otherwise, Patrick McGowan, Elizabeth Mitchell, Steven Rowe and Rosa Scarcelli are on the airwaves, as are Republicans Steve Abbott, Matt Jacobson, Peter Mills, Paul LePage, Les Otten and Bruce Poliquin.
Missing from the Portland-market channels, at least as of Wednesday, was Republican Bill Beardsley.
The candidates in crowded primary fields are buying commercials as voters start to pay more attention to the races, said Michael Franz, professor of government at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. They are trying to make an impression on what most agree is a large population of undecided voters. In an independent poll released this week by Pan Atlantic SMS Group, 61.7 percent of Democrats said they were still undecided, and 47 percent of Republicans were undecided.
"Some candidates need to reintroduce themselves, or introduce themselves," said Franz. "TV is probably the best way to do it."
The spending in the Portland market is led by Otten, not surprisingly, at about $573,800 for the year. Otten actually began airing commercials last year.
He has spent $2.3 million on his campaign, according to reports filed May 28, has loaned his campaign roughly $2.2 million and has raised about $116,700.
Otten, a businessman without political experience, also has consistently led in name-recognition polls.
Otten's spending on advertising may have prompted other candidates to increase their buys. "When a candidate has got a lot of money and a lot of resources, it sort of forces the other candidates to spend resources," Franz said.
McGowan has spent $331,849, according to records kept at the three stations. McGowan and Mitchell are publicly funded candidates, and each has $600,000 for the primary.
Franz suggested that McGowan is spending a lot in the Portland market because he has a strong network in northern Maine. McGowan has run past campaigns in northern Maine, so he may be relying on greater name recognition there.
McGowan has been advertising around shows aimed primarily at women -- ones that feature Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray or Dr. Phil, "The View" and soap operas, as well as some news programs.
Franz said candidates can carefully designate the sorts of viewers their ads will target. "It's getting more strategic with every passing cycle," he said. "Candidates, through their consultants, have great data on viewership demographics."
Especially for a primary, a candidate may try to place ads in shows that may be more favored by people in their political party, Franz said.
Dan Cashman, president of Cashman Communications, is McGowan's media consultant. He said McGowan is spending a significant amount of money in the Portland market, but also is spending in the Bangor and Presque Isle markets.
Portland is more expensive than the other two markets, Cashman noted, and buys in Bangor give a candidate a big bang for the buck. That's because Bangor station WABI also airs in Augusta, and stations WLBZ and WVII also air in the Presque Isle market.
McGowan isn't just targeting women, Cashman said. He has had some ad buys during the NBA playoffs and has a Red Sox buy coming up. One issue, said Cashman, is that many popular shows are in reruns or off the air until the fall.
One dependable buy is local news, said Cashman, which draws viewers who are interested in current events -- like the primary. And, he said, viewers typically don't record news and fast-forward past ads.
Most of the other candidates have clustered their ads around news, or game shows, with some variation.
Poliquin has spent $261,615 with the three Portland stations, mostly in April, May and June. He reported $737,765 in receipts, including $650,000 that he gave the campaign. He has spent $711,074, according to the latest financial reports.
Poliquin aired what has been the only so-called attack ad of the season, taking on Otten's record as a businessman.
Scarcelli had spent $135,960 as of Wednesday, according to records at the three stations. Franz said he is surprised she hasn't spent more, running against three relatively well-known candidates who have long histories in state government.
"I figured she'd be on TV at Les Otten levels," Franz said.
He said candidates with little or no political experience, like Otten and Scarcelli, start with less name recognition and have to spend to compensate. Well-known candidates recognize that, said Franz, and may not feel they have to match the spending.
Mills is taking his second run for governor, and is regarded as having name recognition from the 2006 campaign and from his service as a state senator. He has spent $162,908 advertising in the Portland market. Mills is also a clean election candidate, with $600,000 for the primary.
Mitchell, the state Senate president, is seen as having a strong base in the Augusta area. She has spent $126,900 at the Portland market's stations, hitting shows like "The Bachelorette," "Ellen" and "The View," as well as game shows and news.
Rowe is also well-known, having served as a state legislator, speaker of the House and attorney general. He has spent about $25,400 at Portland's stations.
Abbott spent $62,975 in April, May and June. His campaign was boosted by ads run on WGME by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which spent about $11,100 on the buys just before the Republican State Convention.
Republicans Paul LePage and Matt Jacobson had spent $25,800 and $6,450 in the market, respectively, as of Wednesday.
Franz said Beardsley, who lives in Ellsworth and was president of Husson University in Bangor, may be targeting his ad buys at northern Maine, possibly going after a more conservative voter.
Southern Maine is seen as more liberal, so Beardsley, a social conservative, may see no value in advertising down here, Franz said.
According to his latest campaign finance reports, Beardsley has spent $81,481 at Bangor and Presque Isle stations.
Eliot Cutler, an independent who will be on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, has spent $37,400 on TV ads. And Shawn Moody, also running as an independent, has made a $10,620 media buy at WGME.
Most candidates are also embracing social media this year, using Twitter, Facebook and even YouTube to get their names and faces out to potential voters. But in the crowded primary fields, that's no match for old-fashioned TV, said Ron Schmidt, chair of the political science department at the University of Southern Maine.
"More people still watch television than Tweet or look at Facebook," Schmidt said.
And, he said, the candidates know that in the primaries they will be counting on voters who have strong connections to the political parties. Those voters tend to be older, said Schmidt, so TV and even radio works better than online media.
Staff Writer Matt Wickenheiser can be contacted at 791-6316 or at:
mwickenheiser@pressherald.com
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20 COMMENTS
cat said...
I wonder if the WGME boycott is to blame, at least in part, for the higher undecided polling on the Democratic side. Fewer ad impressions yield lower awareness of the candidates, or so the theory would go. The Democratic agenda is in line with the values of Oprah viewers - and that audience is watching Channel 13 weekdays from 4-5PM. A lost opportunity to go along with that labor solidarity, perhaps?
June 4, 2010 at 12:24 AM Report abuse
jake007 said...
Huh??"Mitchell,.. hitting shows like "The Bachelorette," "Ellen" and "The View,"....why not get a sandwich board and wear it marching around Sisters as well. This stuff is to funny.
June 4, 2010 at 5:27 AM Report abuse
AXeL said...
This is for a pissant state governorship. Now envision people vying for senate seats and spending tens of millions on primary fights alone and you understand why Obama is bribing those people to step aside in order to save HUNDREDS of MILLIONS that can be used to actually win seats and maintain their majority. THAT'S WHY IT'S A CRIME! Obama's legacy is not only washing ashore in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, it's also taken rooms at the WATERGATE.
June 4, 2010 at 9:49 AM Report abuse
Dee said...
Les Otten is evidently trying to buy the election. To a lesser degree, so is Poliquin.
June 4, 2010 at 10:07 AM Report abuse
Beanbad said...
At least, Grumpy Old Men is past history. Although, Sophia, did standout more than the others.
June 4, 2010 at 10:12 AM Report abuse
Page5Girl said...
what a complete waste of money.
June 4, 2010 at 10:50 AM Report abuse
ThistleDew said...
Dee, Re: Otten & Poliquin, you are correct. Paul LePage is ahead of Otten in many polls. His run for office is on a shoestring budget. He is the real deal; I encourage all to check out his website. Vote for PAUL LEPAGE
June 4, 2010 at 11:41 AM Report abuse
henryelm said...
What a great story--so several are trying to BUY the governorship with their own money. Isn't that more like a dictatorship then a democracy. Come on, there has got to be a rule that says you can't fund more then say 10% of your own campaign. If you can't raise money from "the people", if you don't have enough supporters to fund your campaign then you DON'T deserve ( and shouldn't) to run!!!YUP I'm talking to Otten and Polquin. Lets just put the governorship on the auction block and sell it to the highest bidder on ebay and annoint Otten or Poliquin KING!!
June 4, 2010 at 11:43 AM Report abuse
henryelm said...
I looked at Le page''s site and it is amazing how many D ideas he has stolen that the R's have rejected. Among other things he wants to eliminate all current sales tax exemptions( yup that means raising taxes!! sort of like the #1 referenda you are about to vote on) And he actually has an interesting welfare to work program. That doesn't PUNISH single moms but give them a REAL chance to get off welfare.( YUP it will INCREASE spending on welfare!!) Too bad his supporters are looney tune thieves.
June 4, 2010 at 11:50 AM Report abuse
henryelm said...
Le page will put back welfare programs the D's have had to CUT to reduce spending. What a HOOT!!! A rose by another other name; might be a D. Or he at least embraces some past D concepts like eliminating the 100's of sales tax exemptions, that have been rejected by the R's. Pretty weird stuff.Oh I'm SOO confused!!!
June 4, 2010 at 11:55 AM Report abuse
BeachPatriot said...
@henry - You need to get off of whatever it is you're smoking or drinking. Paul LePage strongly backs Question 1 to reject the Dems' & Peter Mills' scheme to raise and/or implement new taxes on over 100 items. As far as theft goes, it was a supporter of Abbott that was implicated in an alleged theft of a list of convention delegates from the State Republican committee. Get your facts straight. Paul will require able-bodied welfare recipients to work or be in training in return for their benefits and introduce a residency requirement. No longer will someone from out of state arrive in Maine in the morning and have the full taxpayer funded benefit package in time for dinner.
June 4, 2010 at 12:28 PM Report abuse
johnlovell said...
The story says that "Schmidt said ... the candidates know that in the primaries they will be counting on voters who have strong connections to the political parties. Those voters tend to be older, said Schmidt, so TV and even radio works better than online media." Why does Schmidt think online media doesn't reach "older" voters? Why didn't the reporter ask him?
June 4, 2010 at 12:37 PM Report abuse
Sam said...
You might want to rethink your outrage there BeachPatriot. Eliminating the sales tax exemptions that Lepage is proposing adds MANY, MANY more items to those being taxed than the tax reform bill he "claims" to oppose. If you label all new fees and increases in the items being taxed as "tax increases", as most on the right do, then Lepage is the only candidate from either party with a platform that includes huge overall tax increases!
June 4, 2010 at 12:44 PM Report abuse
Sam said...
... and I believe that the reference to Lepage supporters being thieves relates to them stealing a child's schoolwork (a poster) while they were busily searching a middle school classroom that they were guests in. You remember those fools who found and reported a case of US Constitutions as "Anti American materials", right? Clever folks that batch of Lepage supporters!
June 4, 2010 at 12:47 PM Report abuse
ThistleDew said...
Sam, LePage served three terms as mayor of Waterville. He has LOWERED the taxes without losing any benefits. What you fail to see is that money can be saved by cutting costs and curbing spending. That's what will cover these expenses not by raising taxes. LePage will NOT raise taxes; that would totally go against his grain.
June 4, 2010 at 1:26 PM Report abuse
BeachPatriot said...
From LePage2010.com: Finally, I will oppose any effort to: Repeal existing exemptions for goods, services, and labor from the state sales tax, including Governor Baldacci's and the legislature's most recent effort in LD 1495. And I will oppose any effort to implement a local option sales tax. LD 1495 seeks to repeal those exemptions, i.e. make you pay sales taxes on services such as auto repair labor. Paul will oppose any such repeal of those exemptions. Paul supports the repeal of LD 1495 and joins working Mainers in supporting the Yes on 1 campaign to reject the tax increases passed by the legislature and supported by Peter Mills and Gov. Baldacci.
June 4, 2010 at 3:18 PM Report abuse
Sam said...
Maybe a Lepage supporter can explain to me why so many of you seem to oppose bilingual education and affirmative action (based on prior posts) when Lepage himself got into college exclusively by using both of these kinds of social "hand up" programs because his command of English was too poor to pass the entrance exam without special intervention and a personally designed program to help him out. A couple more areas needing a bit of explanation: Lepage rants against mandates, then proposes a mandate for smaller class sizes in public schools. He claims he'll cut the cost of welfare, then proposes a MUCH more costly welfare to work program then what we have now and somehow seems to think limiting benefit recipients to "only" 5 years will pay for this. However, currently only 4% of recipients collect for over 5 years and the vast majority of that 5% are permanently disabled. Anyone able to explain these magic little "logic" excursions?
June 4, 2010 at 3:21 PM Report abuse
Bole said...
This is ridiculous. More money, more ads, totally unfair. We need a political channel that is free and all politicians should be restricted to it.
June 4, 2010 at 4:40 PM Report abuse
Sam said...
4 hours later and no answers to my questions about Lepage's wildly contradictory and/or impossible policy proposals. I guess no one can figure out his flip floppery
June 4, 2010 at 8:42 PM Report abuse
SoPoDad said...
Sam, it's obvious crazy tea partiers clam up and go quiet when confronted with logical questions. It's just a matter of time before they start peppering things in all-caps like CONSTITUTION, CRIME, a little LIBERAL sniping, and then the requisite comparisons of public servants to NAZI programs a la their beloved GLENN BECK.
June 5, 2010 at 3:07 PM Report abuse