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Candidates spending big in Georgia
The numbers are huge. Georgia is a battleground state and that means big bucks are being spent here. A new report out this month has found that since late July the campaigns combined have spent more than $140 million on ads in our state.
ATLANTA - Election Day is two weeks from Tuesday and the candidates are in the middle of their final push to get the 270 electoral votes needed to win, and part of that effort includes campaign ads.
"It's overwhelming, but both sides need to get their points out," said Happy Johnson.
"It is getting annoying, but I think that maybe the reason for it is because a lot of people already have made up their mind," said Mike Maddalena.
According to a report from AdImpact, the campaigns have spent a staggering $144 million in Georgia ads from July 22 to Oct. 8. The report says it is the third-highest battleground state spending leading up to election day.
"From a marketing standpoint, we put advertising dollars where they're going to work for us in the context of the election, we need to get to 50% plus one in that particular state," said David Schweidel, Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - AUGUST 08: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on August 08, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Polls currently show a close race between Trump and …
Schweidel says it makes sense that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are focusing on battleground Georgia, even if it is annoying voters.
"I think a lot of what we're seeing is geared toward making sure your base shows up and votes for you instead of sitting out the election," he said.
With early voting underway and election day close, the ads, specifically the attack ones, are far from over as campaigns try to sway the final undecided voters.
"I don't like that mudslinging. I understand that it is political, however, it just is too much at times," said Tisha McCalla.
According to AdImpact, only Pennsylvania and Michigan are seeing more political spending. The organization found that most of the ads running in Georgia are related to housing, the economy and healthcare. The report says the Trump and Harris campaigns are spending about equally in Georgia, but across all the battlegrounds, Democrats are outspending Republicans.