First Read: Clinton Has Owned the Airwaves in the General Election
First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.
Hillary Clinton has owned the 2016 airwaves for two-straight months
Exactly two months ago, Hillary Clinton's campaign went up with its first general election TV ads in battleground states, and in that time it has spent $61 million over the airwaves, while pro-Clinton outside groups have chipped in an additional $43 million. That's a combined $104 million in total ad spending for Team Clinton.
But in that same time frame, Donald Trump's campaign still hasn't spent a single cent on a general-election ad, with two pro-Trump outside groups coming to the rescue with $12.4 million over the airwaves. That's a nearly 9-to-1 advantage in ad spending. And it raises some important questions for the Trump campaign. When will it FINALLY start airing advertisements (with him trailing in key states and nationally 84 days to go until Election Day)? What is Trump doing with his campaign money (after the New York Times reported two weeks ago that Trump and the GOP had raised a combined $82 million last month)? And will any other outside groups come to Trump's defense? Political scientists, you now have an amazing case study on your hands: What happens in a presidential race when one side owns the airwaves for two-straight months?
Oh, and get this: The Green Party's Jill Stein ($189,000) and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson ($15,000) have spent more on ads than the Trump campaign ($0) in this general election.
Total Clinton ad spending so far:
Clinton campaign: $61 million
Clinton outside groups: $43 million
Total Team Clinton: $104 million
Total Trump ad spending so far:
Trump campaign: $0
Trump outside groups: $12.4 million
Total Team Trump: $12.4 million
SOURCE: Advertising Analytics/NBC News
