Deval Patrick makes first ad buy
January 3, 2020
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is making his first splash in the Democratic primary with a series of early voting state ad buys.
The spots will begin running in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina on Jan. 8 and will be concentrated most heavily in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the two states where Patrick is focusing his efforts. The cable buy marks his first TV purchase.
According to Ad Analytics, a political ad tracking service, Patrick is spending more than $100,000 on a two-week ad flight in New Hampshire, where he’s told supporters that his plan is to finish near the top. He intends to carry that momentum to South Carolina, where he’s spending an additional $60,000 on ads this month.
Representatives from Patrick’s campaign would not specify details of the buy or the nature of the TV ads. During a campaign stop in his hometown of Chicago, Patrick spent time filming scenes for the ads, the Associated Press reported.
The former Massachusetts governor has struggled to meet the polling and fundraising thresholds necessary to qualify for the Democratic debate stage. He currently does not register in most national and early state polls.
Despite a 29% favorability rating in the neighboring state of New Hampshire, Patrick still polls below 1% there, according to a December WBUR poll. A November Quinnipiac poll of South Carolina found similar results.
His national name recognition is the lowest of any other candidate, as 46% of Democratic primary voters reported that they have not heard of him, according to Morning Consult.
Patrick’s ad buy comes as he continues to expand his New Hampshire footprint. His campaign, which said that the ex-governor plans to spend more time there than any other Democratic contender, also announced the hiring of nine new staffers and the opening of a Manchester campaign office.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
