The top 10 presidential campaign ads in October, by spending
By David Wright, CNN
(CNN) — Voters in the presidential battlegrounds have seen a heavy rotation of presidential campaign ads this month, as their states have been blitzed by tens of millions of dollars in spending by the campaigns of Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and their respective allies.
The ads have focused on an evolving set of issues, including the economy, abortion rights, immigration and crime. And in the closing weeks of the race, Republican advertisers have also poured money into attack ads focused on transgender policies, while Democrats have increasingly focused on criticizing the former president’s character.
Here are the 10 TV ads that the presidential candidates and their allies have spent the most on during the first three weeks of October, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact.
1. FF PAC – ‘Not rich as hell’ (Pro-Harris)
The ad with the most TV spending behind it between October 1 and 21 was from FF PAC, the leading pro-Harris super PAC, which spent more than $22 million on the spot slamming Trump’s tax policies.
The ad features a voter from Jacksonville, Florida, watching a clip of Trump at a 2023 Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, praising his “rich as hell” donors and promising, “We’re gonna give you tax cuts.” She reacts disapprovingly, saying, “I am not rich as hell. I work hard. I scrape to get by. Donald Trump wants to give tax breaks to billionaires, but Kamala Harris has plans to help us.”
FF PAC put about $3.4 million behind the ad in Georgia, $1.5 million in North Carolina, $1.4 million in Wisconsin, $1.1 million in Michigan, $1.1 million in Pennsylvania and about $662,000 in Arizona.
2. FF PAC – ‘Fair Share’ (Pro-Harris)
During the first three weeks of October, FF PAC also put more than $20 million behind a similar ad, featuring the same clip of Trump at the Mar-a-Lago fundraiser but with a different voter, this one from battleground Pennsylvania, sharing his misgivings. “I’m not rich as hell. I’m the one that really needs the break. Not the people that are already rich and have the money,” he says.
To air that spot, the super PAC spent about $1.6 million in Pennsylvania, $1.4 million in Georgia, $1.4 million in North Carolina, and about $700,000 to $1 million each in Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona.
3. MAGA Inc. – ‘Next Step’ (Pro-Trump)
The pro-Trump ad with the most spending behind it during the first three weeks of October was from MAGA Inc., the leading super PAC backing the former president. It put nearly $18 million behind a sharp attack spot criticizing Harris’ record in law enforcement. “Kamala Harris has always put criminals first. Don’t make America her next victim,” the ad warns.
Between October 1 and 21, MAGA Inc. spent about $6.5 million airing the ad in Pennsylvania, $4.9 million in Michigan, and $2 million to $2.5 million each in North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia.
4. Trump for President – ‘Insane’ (Pro-Trump)
In fourth place was a spot from the Trump campaign, with nearly $16 million behind it, that criticizes Harris over her past support for taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for detained immigrants and federal prisoners – a position she took during her unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign and which has been a major focus of Republican attacks this month.
“It sounds insane because it is insane,” the ad says, closing with the line, “Kamala’s agenda is they/them, not you,” referring to the pronouns used by some transgender and nonbinary individuals.
During the first three weeks of October, the Trump campaign spent about $3.2 million airing the ad on TV in Pennsylvania, $2.6 million in North Carolina, $2.2 million in Georgia, $1.9 million in Wisconsin, $1.3 million in Arizona, $1.2 million in Michigan and about $736,000 in Nevada.
5. FF PAC – ‘Tax breaks’ (Pro-Harris)
Note: The above spot is the 15-second version of the FF PAC ad.
Next up on the list is another ad from FF PAC – this one with more than $15 million behind it – that also includes the clip of Trump praising his “rich as hell” donors. This version of the spot features a Nevada voter criticizing the remarks from a shop floor, saying, “We work hard, and we pay our taxes, but billionaires are getting away with paying less in taxes than we do.”
FF PAC put about $1.4 million behind this ad in Pennsylvania, about $1 million in Michigan, about $1 million in Georgia, and about $500,000 to $700,000 each in Wisconsin and Arizona. Despite featuring a Nevadan, the ad has seen a run of only about $66,000 in the Silver State, with most Democratic advertisers focusing their resources on larger battleground states.
6. Restoration PAC – ‘That’s called Bidenomics’ (Pro-Trump)
Restoration PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC, put more than $11 million behind this attack ad criticizing Harris over inflation. The spot replays a clip of the vice president praising “Bidenomics” – another key line of attack from Republicans that was deployed heavily earlier in the campaign.
According to AdImpact data, the super PAC spent $4.2 million airing the ad in Pennsylvania, $2.6 million in Wisconsin and $1.3 million in Georgia during the first three weeks of October.
7. Harris for President – ‘My Life’s Work’ (Pro-Harris)
Seventh on the list is a spot from the Harris campaign that features the vice president speaking straight to camera and rebutting some of the sharp attacks that Trump and his allies have leveled against her.
“You’ve seen all these negative ads against me. Well, here’s the deal, they are designed to tear us apart. But here’s the truth. My life’s work has been fighting on behalf of others. It’s why I became a prosecutor, district attorney and attorney general,” Harris says in the ad, which her campaign spent more than $11 million on during the first three weeks of the month.
Harris’ campaign spent about $868,000 airing the ad in Pennsylvania, about $431,000 in Arizona, about $398,000 in Michigan, about $374,000 in Nevada, about $318,000 in Wisconsin, about $303,000 in Georgia and about $186,000 in North Carolina, according to AdImpact data.
8. FF PAC – ‘The Trump Tax’ (Pro-Harris)
Note: The above spot is the 15-second version of the FF PAC ad.
With more than $10 million in TV spending behind it is another spot from FF PAC hammering Trump’s tax policies. This spot, though, takes a different approach from the other ads from the super PAC, replaying clips of Harris’ address at the Democratic National Convention this summer.
“Rebuilding that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. Compare that to Trump. He fights for himself and his billionaire friends,” Harris says in the clip.
FF PAC has spent about $2.4 million airing the ad in North Carolina, about $2.1 million in Pennsylvania, just under $2 million in Georgia, and between about $1 million and $1.5 million each in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
9. Trump for President – ‘Nothing Will Change’ (Pro-Trump)
In ninth place is a newer TV ad that the Trump campaign launched on October 16 but that it quickly spent more than $10 million to air, featuring a clip of Harris on “The View” saying that “there is not a thing that comes to mind” when pressed on how she would have governed differently from President Joe Biden.
The soundbite from earlier this month has provided ammunition for more than $30 million worth of GOP TV attack ads since, and this spot from the Trump campaign set the tone: “Nothing will change with Kamala: more weakness, more war, more welfare for illegals and even more taxes,” the ad warns.
According to AdImpact data, the Trump campaign has put about $2 million behind the ad in Pennsylvania, about $1.6 million in North Carolina, about $1.2 million to $1.5 million each in Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin, and about $753,000 in Nevada.
10. Trump for President – ‘Even High Taxes’ (Pro-Trump)
Rounding out the top 10 is another ad from the Trump campaign – backed by $9.5 million in spending – that touts some of the former president’s tax proposals aimed at lower- and middle-class Americans, while accusing Harris of backing tax hikes. “President Trump will cut taxes again. No taxes on tips, overtime or Social Security,” the ad says.
The campaign spent about $2.3 million airing in North Carolina, about $2 million in Georgia, about $1.8 million in Wisconsin, about $1.4 million in Pennsylvania, about $1.2 million in Arizona and about $901,000 in Nevada.
Honorable mention: Harris for President – ‘Unstable’ (Pro-Harris)
Note: A 30-second version of the above ad was cut for television.
Narrowly outside the top 10 was a newer ad from the Harris campaign that it launched on October 10 and that reflects a concerted effort in the closing weeks of the race to attack Trump’s character and conduct in office.
The spot, which the campaign spent more than $9 million on between October 10 and 21, features several former Trump administration officials criticizing their former boss’s record. “The people who knew him best say he’s too unstable to lead,” the ad warns.
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