Posted on 07/14/2004 6:10:58 PM PDT by antivenom
WASHINGTON - Despite promises to expand the election playing field, John Kerry has reduced his ad spending in Missouri, Arizona and throughout the South in the run-up to the Democratic presidential convention.
Kerry's advisers said they were not shrinking their political map, only saving resources for later in the campaign and redirecting ad money to hotly contested states like Florida and Ohio. President Bush's campaign called the strategy a sign of weakness in GOP-leaning territory.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Cool!
they wont win Ohio either....but Florida scares me....
I have notice with interest that recently other than the Kerry/the battle seems to have been in PA, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Interestingly they were all won by the Dims in 2000. I think that bodes well for what the internal polling of both candidates is telling them.
Between Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, Bush should get at least one, so even if FL is a loss he should be OK. However, I think FL is OK too.
Florida is Bush's. The media can't discourage the western part of the state by calling it early this time. The military votes will also be counted this election :)
In his new round of advertising, Kerry has significantly increased his spending in several key states while slightly lowering buys for Missouri and Arizona. Voters in both states will still see plenty of ads, just relatively few compared to other battlegrounds.
In Virginia, the Kerry campaign dramatically reduced its ad buy. Last month, he pulled his ads out of Louisiana and Arkansas.
Kerry strategist Tad Devine said the states are still competitive and called the shift a part of the natural ebb and flow of ad strategies.
"We're very pleased with what we've accomplished prior to the convention. We've been able to introduce John Kerry in terms of his biography and agenda to voters in 22 states across the country," Devine said. "In some places, we've finished the first wave of ads and expect after the convention to resume ads in many, if not all, of them."
Bush won Missouri by 3 percentage points in 2000, and it is one of the states Kerry hopes to put in the Democratic column Nov. 2. After Florida and Ohio, Missouri is one of a handful of states considered to be the ultimate battlegrounds.
Arizona is a tougher state for Kerry, but advisers insist it is still a major target. Bush won the state by 5 percentage points, but an influx of Hispanics has given Democrats hope.
The South has always been a longshot for Kerry, a Massachusetts senator with few ties to the region. By adding Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina to his ticket, Kerry hopes to force Republicans to spend money in the South.
Bush is spending heavily in North Carolina now that Edwards is on the ticket. But the latest round of Kerry ads suggest that the Democrat has decided to wait until late in the campaign to determine whether, after laying the groundwork this spring, he can make last-minute push in the South.
"I'm not going to preview our ad strategy," Devine said, "but we expect to compete vigorously in all the states. As to how much, that decision we'll make in the future."
Bush, meanwhile, is dramatically increasing his spending in a handful of states, starting with Florida and Ohio. He won both states in 2000 - and probably has to win them again to serve a second term - but Kerry has made a major investment to put them in play.
Thank God I leave Florida tomorrow for good, bound for Idaho, where cooler heads and weather prevails.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Jeb did well in 2002..he'll be out there hard for his older brother..
It would be nice....
the idiot liberals (all 2 of them) say that Bush wouldnt have won Florida even if all the military votes were counted....
I just shook my head and came back with, well at least Hitlery isnt on this ticket!!!!
The ad pulling is very telling...he pulled from:
The only states we will see a contested battle will be the ones tha are ALREADY flexing their muscles (jaw) stating there are "computer/voting problems" that haven't been resolved since 2000...
Click here for my take on how to be your own pundit.
And that's why the hildebeast is jumping ship and not speaking at the 'rats' convention.
KERRY LIED while good men died*
A gathering of Vietnam veterans from across America --
Where: The West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building.
Washington, DC --
When: Sunday, Sept 12, 2004 2:00-4:00 PM (EDT)
I thought that after the convention he will be limited to spending the $75 million matching funds?
"No-Bounce Eddie" is proving to be a bust. Just days after Kerry picked him, the ticket was down 15 points in North Carolina.
Needless to say, the Edwards addition was supposed to catapault the ticket into the stratosphere.
Kerry is still a hard sell but the roll-out of the VP nominee was an unmitigated disaster.....all that hugging, kissing and lovey-dovey stuff on the part of two men was off-putting.
No wonder they're cutting their ads down South and elsewhere.
I really thought Missouri was going to be one of our five toughest states to defend. For now though, it looks like JFnK is banking heavily on Ohio and / or Florida. Taking either one makes it extremely tough for W to prevail.
Fortunately, GOP voters outnumber RAT voters in Ohio and are close to even in Florida. Sure hope it will be enough.
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