Senate race TV spending doubles in Iowa

Remember way back, when you could turn on the television and see commercials for trucks and hamburgers and prescription drugs with lots of side effects?

Those were the good old days, weren't they?

The spending on TV ads in Iowa's highly contentious U.S. Senate race has roughly doubled in recent weeks, underscoring a surge in political advertising ahead of the Nov. 4 election, when several high-profile races are on the ballot.

Across 24 stations with viewers in Iowa, the Republican and Democratic candidates vying to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and the groups backing them spent $13.9 million on more than 26,000 commercials during the five-week period from Sept. 11 to Oct. 15, according to a new joint analysis of public records by The Des Moines Register and seven other news organizations.

And just as with their neck-and-neck standing in the polls, the amounts spent and the numbers of TV ads aired by Democrat Bruce Braley and his allies and Republican Joni Ernst and her allies are nearly even.

The $13.9 million spent in five weeks just edges the $13.8 million in the preceding 11 weeks. All told since late June, Iowans have been subjected to more than 57,000 U.S. Senate ads totaling $27.7 million.

For time slots on certain channels, political advertising has squeezed out literally everything else, leaving an uninterrupted stream of ominous narration, unflattering photos and paid-for disclaimers.

"There are several programs between now and the election that are 100 percent all political advertising," said Dale Woods, general manager of NBC affiliate WHO-TV in Des Moines.

Most ad-saturated, expensive race ever?

The latest figures leave little doubt that this year's Senate race will be the most expensive non-presidential contest ever run in Iowa.

"Absolutely it is," said David Kochel, a Republican strategist and top adviser to Ernst. "You don't really even need to sit down and look at the numbers to know that. We're probably pushing up on $40 million or more" when TV and radio ads, campaign mail, staff salaries, travel and other expenses are factored in.

The next most expensive Iowa race may be the 2010 governor's contest between then-incumbent Democrat Chet Culver and Republican Terry Branstad, Kochel said. That race ended in the $15 million to $20 million range, less than half of what could be spent in the 2014 Senate race.

The most obvious reasons for the huge investment are the competitiveness of the race and the stakes riding on its outcome. Polling shows Braley and Ernst separated by just a few percentage points, and the winner potentially could decide partisan control of the Senate.

But other factors are at play. 2014 is the first full midterm election campaign since the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2010 Citizens United case reshaped the political landscape by allowing unlimited contributions to independent groups. That has sharply escalated campaign spending by groups unaffiliated with candidate campaigns.

"The amount of outside spending is frankly ridiculous," said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Scott Brennan. "I'd like to have my television back."

Braley, Ernst running near-even on TV

The $13.9 million in spending for the September-October period was split almost 50-50 between the two candidates, with Braley enjoying $6.9 million in spending on his behalf and Ernst receiving $7 million. Pro-Braley ads totaled 13,124 spots, compared to 13,329 supporting Ernst —a difference of just 205 30-second spots across the state.

Those figures represent a shift from earlier in the race, when Braley and his allies outspent Ernst and her allies by almost $2 million. But when it comes to the amount spent by the candidates' campaigns, a sharp difference emerges.

For the 35-day period, Ernst's campaign spent a little more than $730,000 of its money on 3,264 ads, accounting for just over 10 percent of pro-Ernst ad spending.

Braley, by contrast, spent almost $1.4 million in campaign funds on 3,626 ads, making up almost 20 percent of TV spending on his behalf.

Both figures speak to the post-Citizens United dominance of independent spending in political television advertising. Outside groups unaffiliated with either campaign were responsible for 85 percent of all ads run during the period.

"That's the root of all this what I would call evil," Brennan said, echoing long-standing Democratic opposition to the decision, even as the party's candidates have also benefited from outside spending.

The predominance of ads by outside groups can present challenges for candidates attempting to use TV ads to control the message they project to voters, said Grinnell University political scientist Barbara Trish. But it also allows the campaigns to focus on positive messages about their candidates while leaving the sharper attacks on opponents to outside groups.

"There are legal limits on degree to which they can formally coordinate, but given the negative messages that the outside groups and (Capitol) Hill committees are introducing, you have to believe that the candidates are relieved that they don't have to say these things about their opponent," she said.

The biggest winner: Iowa's TV stations

If there's one unequivocal winner in the ad surge that accompanies an ultra-competitive political race, it's the television stations in many markets across the state.

Dale Woods, general manager of WHO in Des Moines, said 70 percent of the station's commercials are now political spots, with saturation levels far higher than that during news programs and in prime time. Earlier this month, the station ranked second in the country for the volume of political ads aired.

For the Sept. 11 to Oct. 15 period, WHO saw $1.5 million in spending on just the Senate race between Joni Ernst and Bruce Braley — never mind all the ads for other state and federal candidates on the ballot this year.

That isn't even the biggest haul for an Iowa station: Quad Cities' NBC affiliate KWQC pulled in almost $2.7 million on Senate-focused ads.

Woods said WHO has gone out of its way to court political advertising. Last month, the station launched a new hourlong newscast at 4 p.m. that focuses heavily on politics, in addition to its half-hour news broadcasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Creating another news program may attract the viewers political advertisers want to reach, Woods said, but also has direct financial advantages. By starting another show, the station gets total control over the advertising and avoids sharing its time with the owner of a syndicated talk show or game show that otherwise might run during that time.

"I used to have 'Ellen,' " Woods said, referring to the syndicated talk show hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. "Warner Brothers would get half the commercials, and WHO would get the other half of the commercials. When I own my own program, I get 100 percent of the commercials."

Campaigns shift focus to eastern TV markets

In a significant shift from earlier in the race, both sides turned their attention eastward, investing heavily in the 28 Iowa counties covered by the Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids media markets.

The candidates and their backers spent $8.6 million — 62 percent of the total — at eight television stations reaching about 40 percent of Iowa's population. In all, these markets saw more than 14,000 ads over the 35-day period.

At the same time, their investment in the Des Moines market, which reaches about 36 percent of Iowans, fell substantially. The two sides spent just $2.4 million on central Iowa television — less than a third of what they spent in the eastern market on Braley's home turf. He lives in Waterloo.

It's a marked change from the earlier 11 weeks of the campaign, when spending in Des Moines was almost even with the eastern Iowa markets: $5.7 million compared with $6.2 million. From late June to mid-October, the Senate race saw $8.2 million spent on about 11,000 ads in the Des Moines market, compared with $14.9 million spent on more than 29,000 ads in Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities.

For the September-October period, Ernst and her backers outspent Braley in eastern Iowa — $4.6 million to $4 million — while Braley and his allies outspent Ernst and her supporters in the Des Moines area $1.3 million to $1.1 million.

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, who lives in the eastern Iowa town of Wilton, said pricey airtime in the Quad Cities market may have something to do with heavy spending there, but added that the region is seen as rich with potentially persuadable voters.

"I'm guessing in eastern Iowa there are a lot more independents that both candidates feel are up for grabs," Kaufmann said.

Party committees, PACs are top buyers

Party committees that support Senate candidates were the top ad buyers for both candidates during the five-week period from Sept. 11 to Oct. 15.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee poured $2.6 million into 4,266 pro-Bruce Braley ads during the period, while the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent $1.8 million on 2,253 ads supporting Joni Ernst.

Ernst has also received seven-figure support from American Crossroads, the Super PAC associated with GOP strategist Karl Rove, and from Freedom Partners Action Fund, the group organized by the conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch.

The Senate Majority PAC — a pro-Democratic group closely connected to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — spent more than $1 million on behalf of Braley.

Both candidates also benefited from several smaller ad buys from traditional allies of their respective parties. Braley, for example, saw ads run on his behalf by the Sierra Club environmental group, Planned Parenthood and several labor unions. Pro-Ernst ads have come from the National Rifle Association's political arm, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chemistry Council, among others.

Campaign groups that were big players on television earlier in the campaign, meanwhile, aired no ads in support of their candidate from Sept. 11 to Oct. 15.

That includes Concerned Veterans for America, which spent $1.4 million backing Ernst from June through September, and NextGen Climate Action, which spent $2.1 million from July through September to support Braley during the earlier period. NextGen, however, returned to the airwaves on Friday with an ad critical of what it called Ernst's "job-killing policies."

About this report

This exclusive report is the result of a collaboration by eight news organizations located in television broadcast markets serving Iowa.

A total of 10 reporters examined campaign advertising records that ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox network affiliates serving Iowa television markets filed with the Federal Communications Commission since July 1. Ads aired on cable stations or satellite networks such as Dish and DirecTV were not included.

The contracts detail the agreements by U.S. Senate campaigns and political action committees to purchase time when advertising will be aired. Information gathered included the name of the committee making the purchase, the dates the ad spots began airing and ended, the number of spots included in each purchase and the gross amount spent.

The news organizations previously examined ad buys that began airing on or before Sept. 10. This installment, the second of three parts, includes ad buys that began airing on or before Oct. 15.

Each organization submitted the data it gathered to The Des Moines Register, which assembled the statewide database, offered analysis and returned the data set to partner newspapers for use in compiling their own stories. Or, they could publish the Register's story.

OUTSIDE GROUPS JOIN SENATE FRAY

The bulk of the money paying for the barrage of television ads Iowans are seeing in the U.S. Senate race is coming from outside groups. Here is a breakdown of who they are, their ideology and whom they support.

Groups supporting U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Waterloo:

• Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: The official party group working to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate.

• NextGen Climate Action: Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer's super PAC. The Big Green climate-change activist is targeting Republicans in U.S. Senate battles in four states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and Colorado.

• Senate Majority PAC: A Democratic super PAC connected to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. It can raise unlimited money but must publicly report its donors and spending. "Fueled by billionaires and labor unions, (it) has been the biggest-spending super PAC of the 2014 midterm contests," according to the Washington Post.

• Sierra Club: A left-leaning environmental organization that sponsors a super PAC and a 527 group, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

• VoteVets Action Fund: A liberal veterans group that doesn't reveal its donors to the public. VoteVets works with "allies representing labor, immigration, gay and lesbian rights, and environmentalists, when their issues coincide with the needs of troops and veterans," its website says.

• Environmental Defense Action Fund: A social welfare organization aimed at environmental protection. It gives primarily to Democrats but also supports Republicans.

• American Wind Energy Association: It's the national trade association for the U.S. wind industry.

• League of Conservation Voters: It's "a liberal-leaning organization that raises money primarily in support of environmentally friendly public policy," according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

• Moveon.org: A liberal organization that almost exclusively supports Democrats.

• Planned Parenthood Votes: A super PAC affiliated with the Planned Parenthood women's health organization and supportive of legal access to abortion.

• International Association of Firefighters: A labor union representing firefighters and paramedics.

• Service Employees International Union COPE: The political action committee (COPE is an acronym for "Committee on Political Education") for the labor union, which represents health care workers, janitors, security officers and public sector employees, among other professions.

• AFSCME People: The political organization for the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, a labor union representing government employees.

Groups supporting State Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Red Oak:

• Concerned Veterans for America: Founded by by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch and their network, it works to "preserve the freedom and liberty" fought for by veterans.

• Freedom Partners Action Fund: A Republican super PAC backed by the Koch brothers. It can raise unlimited money but must publicly report its donors and spending.

• Americans for Prosperity: A conservative advocacy nonprofit also backed by the Koch brothers and not required to disclose its donors. It has grown into a network of citizens who work for limited government and free markets.

• American Crossroads: A conservative super PAC founded by GOP operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie. It must reveal its donors. Crossroads GPS is a sister group.

• Crossroads GPS: A conservative issue advocacy nonprofit organized by Rove and Gillespie. Like American Crossroads, it was formed in 2010, but it isn't required to disclose its donors.

• National Republican Senatorial Committee: A Republican organization that spends money on GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate.

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: A lobbying group that represents the interests of businesses and other industry associations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

• NRA Political Victory Fund: The political action committee for the National Rifle Association, the interest group that supports Second Amendment rights and opposes gun control.

• American Chemistry Council: A trade organization representing companies in the chemical industry, including diversified conglomerates such as Dow, DuPont and 3M and oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Chevron.

• Priorities for Iowa: An Iowa-based super PAC run by a political operative who previously worked on Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

• B-PAC: A super PAC that is supporting Republican U.S. Senate candidates in Iowa and Michigan and includes among its donors hedge fund manager Robert Mercer.

• Conservative War Chest: A super PAC committed to electing conservative Republicans to the U.S. Senate in the 2014 election cycle.

Partners in the project

Partner news organizations and reporters gathering the data include:

• Cedar Rapids Gazette: Erin Jordan

• The Des Moines Register: Jason Noble, William Petroski and Aric West

• Dubuque Telegraph Herald: Ben Jacobson

• Omaha World-Herald: Maggie O'Brien

• Ottumwa Courier: Matt Milner

• Quad-City Times: Ed Tibbetts

• Sioux City Journal: Bret Hayworth

• Waterloo Courier: Christinia Crippes

The Register team

JASON NOBLE is a Statehouse reporter. Contact him at 515-286-2532 or jnoble2@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @jasonnobleDMR.

JEFFREY C. KUMMER is deputy politics editor. He coordinated the project and conducted the data analysis. Contact him at 515-284-8294 or jkummer@dmreg.com.

WILLIAM PETROSKI is a Statehouse reporter. He gathered the data for Des Moines stations. Contact him at 515-284-8547 or bpetrosk@dmreg.com.

ARIC WEST is a news assistant. He also gathered data for the Des Moines broadcast market. Contact him at 515-286-2534 or awest@dmreg.com.

By the numbers

$27.7 million: The total spent on more than 57,000 U.S. Senate ads in Iowa since late June.

$20 million: The next most expensive Iowa race may be the 2010 governor's race, which ended up in the $15 million to $20 million range.

$13.9 million: The amount spent on U.S. Senate ads from Sept. 11 to Oct. 15, split almost 50-50 between Braley and Ernst.