GOP allies blitzing Democrats with campaign ads

WASHINGTON — Groups allied with the Republican Party and financed in part by corporations and millionaires have amassed a crushing 6-to-1 advantage in television spending over those who support Democratic candidates.

Ads purchased by the GOP-aligned groups are dominating the airwaves, early voting has begun in some states, and Republicans are positioned to jeopardize Democratic control of the House and Senate.

The three major Democratic Party committees reported a combined cash advantage of more than $20 million over their Republican counterparts heading into September. But the advertising mismatch among outside groups, reflected in documents obtained by The Associated Press and a study by the Wesleyan Media Project, has wiped out that edge and is hampering efforts by President Obama and Democratic leaders to sway a shrinking number of undecided voters.

Helped by looser fundraising rules in the aftermath of a Supreme Court ruling in January, about two dozen organizations intended to benefit Republicans are active in House and Senate races; fewer than 10 are aimed at helping Democrats.

Ad spending by GOP allies over the past two months has totaled nearly $30 million in 15 states with competitive Senate or House races; Democratic outside groups have spent less than $5 million.

Millions against Murray

In Washington state, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray is facing an onslaught from Republican-connected organizations in her race against Dino Rossi, with more than $2 million spent in August and September against her by conservative groups. A new Democratic group, Commonsense Ten, just weighed in with a $400,000 advertising effort.

"There's no even playing field here," said Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Ad spending on House and Senate races climbed to $220 million through Sept. 15, from $135 million at the same point in 2008, according to data analyzed by the Wesleyan Media Project. The increase mainly has come in Senate races, with Florida, Pennsylvania and Nevada topping the list, the study found.

The GOP is receiving additional help from groups that don't even weigh in directly on congressional races. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group started by billionaire conservative David Koch, has spent about $5.5 million in closely contested House districts with ads that don't mention candidates but criticize Obama's policies.

Outside groups including Crossroads GPS, advised by Republican strategist Karl Rove, have spent more than $31 million on ads for Senate races, up from $16 million in 2008, the Wesleyan Media Project found. Candidates in those races have more than doubled their spending to $121 million.

Impact from ruling

Some of the increase in noncandidate spending can be traced to the Supreme Court decision that freed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts from their treasuries, said Travis Ridout, a Washington State University political-science professor who is co-director of the project.

That ruling, known as Citizens United, isn't prompting many corporations to do direct advertising, said Erika Franklin Fowler, another co-director of the project. Instead, more money is flowing into issue advocacy groups that don't have to report contributors to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), she said.

"We are seeing evidence of changing tactics as groups seek shelter in the rules for nonprofits that allow such organizations to withhold their donor names," said Fowler, a Wesleyan University political-science professor in Middletown, Conn.

Crossroads GPS is one of the groups taking advantage of the new money flow. The group had spent $5.9 million on 6,868 ads as of Sept. 15, according to the study. Ads have targeted Democratic Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada and Michael Bennet of Colorado, as well as Democratic Senate candidates Jack Conway of Kentucky and Robin Carnahan of Missouri, FEC records show.

The group in August also announced plans to spend $1 million on ads against Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and $500,000 to oppose Senate Democratic candidate Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania. While the ads don't specifically advocate voting against the Democrats, they criticize the candidates for supporting Obama's health-care plan.

Leaders of Crossroads GPS say they have raised $32 million for it and a sister group, American Crossroads, and plan to spend $52 million on the elections.

The advertising project, which used data from Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group, found that almost $350 million has been spent on advertising for gubernatorial races this cycle. About one-quarter, or $89 million, came from California Republican candidate Meg Whitman, the former chief executive officer of eBay.

The Republican Governors Association has spent more than $12 million on ads, and Republican interest groups have outspent Democratic counterparts by a 2-to-1 ratio overall, the study found. Two Republican-leaning groups, Let's Get to Work and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, each have spent close to $7 million.

Top Democratic allies

The top two outside groups for Democrats are California Working Families for Jerry Brown for Governor, which has spent $6.6 million, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, which has spent a little more than $6 million.

Nevada, where Reid is battling for his political life, stands out as another bright spot for Democrats. Democratic strategist Craig Varoga runs Patriot Majority, a heavily union-financed group that has spent more than $1.5 million in ads targeting Reid's opponent, Republican Sharron Angle.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has been forced to weigh in with $700,000 in ad spending to keep the contest financially even.

There also are signs that Democrat-aligned groups such as the Service Employees International Union are becoming more active in the final weeks.

In addition to benefiting from the Supreme Court ruling, several groups are set up as nonprofit corporations that need not reveal donors.

"You've gone to a world where the Supreme Court has said corporations have a constitutional right to do this spending," said Trevor Potter, a campaign-finance lawyer who was counsel to John McCain's Republican presidential campaign. "That green light has been very important."