Posted on 10/07/2004 12:21:25 PM PDT by Publius
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has canceled more than $1 million worth of Seattle-area television advertising scheduled on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate George Nethercutt in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 2 election. Advertising representatives at Seattle network affiliates KING, KIRO and KOMO confirmed that the committee this week canceled all the time it had reserved for ads between next week and Election Day.
Dan Allen, NRSC spokesman, said, "it doesn't mean we can't do it in the future. We're assessing on a daily basis the entire playing field. We know he [Nethercutt] is a running a very aggressive campaign."
The committee had reserved about $865,000 worth of advertising at KING and $300,000 at KOMO. An advertising representative at KIRO confirmed the ads on that station also had been canceled but did not provide a total dollar amount yesterday afternoon.
Randa Minkarah, general sales manager at KOMO, said the station was not given any reason for the cancellation. She said the campaign could return and purchase time later, though rates could get more expensive as Election Day approaches. The NRSC only scheduled the time about a week ago before dropping it this week, she said.
Sen. George Allen, R-Va., who chairs the committee, has repeatedly called Nethercutt, a Spokane congressman, a strong candidate and has campaigned on his behalf.
But several recent polls have shown Democratic Sen. Patty Murray maintaining a lead of from 7 to 19 percentage points over Nethercutt.
Meanwhile, several other Senate races around the country have grown extremely tight. Polls show Senate races in Colorado, Oklahoma, Alaska, South Dakota and Florida essentially tied, according to National Journal, a Washington, DC-based political magazine.
The NRSC is helping Nethercutt pay for a new ad to be unveiled today in Washington, DC. That ad is part of the committee's so-called coordinated expenditures, which are made in consultation with the Nethercutt campaign. Allen said the NRSC has committed to up to $690,000 worth of those expenditures, the maximum allowed in Washington under federal law.
The committee could spend a lot more than that on independent expenditures, which it cannot discuss with the Nethercutt campaign. The ad time that was canceled would have fallen under the independent-expenditure category, Allen said.
Nethercutt campaign spokesman Alex Conant downplayed the NRSC move. "It doesn't mean anything," he said.
Conant said Nethercutt has never counted on independent expenditures and had raised enough money — $5.4 million as of the last Federal Election Commission report — to be competitive with Murray, who had raised $10.7 million.
Please ping the chapter.
Yes.
Better to put the money into more competitive races...like Thune vs DASHOLE in SD.
I hate her so much. It kills me... UGH...
Well, if W can open up a lead nationally (not that it'll be easy to do considering the MSM are out to get him) then hopefully Colorado, Alaska and Oklahoma will open up for the Rs and the national boys can send money back in here for George N.
crap, i live in washington and murray gives me the willys, she's a terrorist excuser, she told a public school how much bin laden had done good in the world and nethercutt put it in his ads, good for him!!!
Bush team is supposedly writing off WA per WSJ. I read it today. So this seems consistent with that.
Interesting. So the GOP's only campaigning for senators they think are already winning? How strange is that? I'm sorry, but this stinks. I know they're not campaigning against Boxer in CA, either. Very odd, and disturbing.
We are going to win OK for Dr. Tom but this money is going to help big time. Carson his opponent has been getting millions poured in this race and ads everywhere.
Dr. Tom is coming to Norman, OK, on the 15th of October with Cong Istook to meet everyone. Details to follow. We are recommending donations of $25 and up!
That Murray ad he ran was pretty effective - it got national press coverage.
Maybe he won't need the money, and if he wins, he can browbeat the dumba$$ he made this decision.
Bummer
You are dead wrong -- we are in very competitive Senate races like here in OK and the Dems are outspending our candidates on ads about 5-1 so we need those ad buys like yesterday. Do you want to lose Senate seats that are now Republican? We could very easily without additional money!
As there has never been a poll consistently showing Washington to be competitive, it is for the best that both Bush and the RNC not to waste resources there. Put the money into states and races we can win. No point in dumping money into a bottomless pit like WA.
I've seen and heard Nethercutt's ads.
They are terrific!
I think he has one with Patty bin Laden
on video complimenting Osama.
I'm sorry they are cutting his funding.
But, if he can't win, the money will be put to good use.
Welcome to the BEST forum on the WWW.
You DO have pajamas don't you? ;o)
The polls must look bad.
I think it's a good move. N has no chance against Osama Mama. Carson needs the help, as does Thune and Burr.
Bad news. Nethercutt was starting to close the gap. I think his Osama ads were good, but Murray's counter punching strongly. She's an embarrassment to her state, not to mention her gender and her species.
pajamas?
Knocking Murray off was always a long shot. However, Florida, South Dakota, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Georgia (a gimme), and Louisiana are all in play.
Seriously.
She said the stupidest thing any Senator may ever have said, yet she's going to win in a landslide.
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