Kari Lake Leads Katie Hobbs with Millions in Ads from GOP Governors Association and Superior Independent Support

As the heated Arizona gubernatorial campaign between Trump-endorsed Kari Lake and Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs continues, Lake is pulling ahead with spending related to her campaign. Through a funding maneuver, Republicans figured out how to adjust their TV ad buys in order to get better purchasing power, allowing them to obtain more than double the spots Democrats had purchased. At the same time, independent expenditures (IEs) in the race greatly favor Lake over Hobbs by over four to one.

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) has spent over $4 million on ads attacking Hobbs. That strategy is shifting, as the RGA has decided to coordinate with the Yuma Republican Party in order to get more out of their money. Since candidates and their local political parties get better airtime rates than outside groups, the RGA will fund the Yuma GOP $6.5 million to buy a total of $7.1 million in ads through election day on Nov. 8. State law allows political parties to coordinate with candidates, not out-of-state independent expenditure (IE) organizations. The first ad attacked Hobbs on border security and the second ad on taxes and spending.

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Arizona GOP Disputes Katie Hobbs’ Portrayal of Herself as a Moderate in Her New Border Security Ad

Arizona Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is running for governor, is pivoting her campaign ads to “clone herself as a ‘moderate,’” Arizona Republican Party Chair Jerimiah Cota contends. A new ad from Hobbs states that she will “keep our border secure,” but Cota said in a statement that “this is far from the truth.” 

He said, “This statement is absurd implying that the border was secure to begin with. On top of that, Katie cannot expect the people of Arizona to forget her atrocious record when it comes to border security. … She has actively worked against securing Arizona’s border her entire career. We view Hobbs and her team’s attempt to trick an entire state into forgetting her anti-border security history as an insult to the intelligence of Arizonans.” 

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National Border Patrol Council-Endorsed Arizona Candidate for U.S. Senate Jim Lamon Running Barrage of Gutsy Ads, Some Censored by Big Tech

U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon, who is running as a Republican for office in Arizona to defeat incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, is making waves with his provocative, bold TV campaign spots. The left-leaning big tech companies don’t like them, however, and so both Yahoo and Facebook have pushed back, with Yahoo actually censoring them. While broadcast TV is generally required by law to run political ads (FCC rules state that if a station allows state and local political candidates to run ads, they must accept them from all candidates), big tech is not. Yahoo refused to run an ad of his because it merely said “Let’s Go Brandon.” 

Stephen Puetz, one of Lamon’s campaign staffers, told The Arizona Sun Times the ads are making a difference in getting Lamon’s name known, since polls show his support is increasing. Lamon is running against Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in the Republican primary, who has considerable name recognition, and another candidate, Blake Masters, is making significant ground due to funding from his boss, Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. 

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Blackburn Campaign Releases Final Two Ads Prior to Election Day Highlighting Trump and Border Security

The Marsha Blackburn campaign for the U.S. Senate on Saturday released its final two television ads which will air in media markets across the state. In an ad titled, “Closing,” U.S. Rep. Blackburn (R-TN-07) says, “As a World War II veteran’s daughter, I know America is always one generation from slipping away. I’m Marsha Blackburn. I’ll fight to build the wall, reclaim the Supreme Court, protect Trump’s tax cuts, and repeal Obamacare. Phil Bredesen, he won’t do any of that. I’m Marsha Blackburn and I approve this message because we won’t right America if we don’t fix what’s wrong.” “I’m Marsha Blackburn, and I approve this message because we won’t right America if we don’t fix what’s wrong.” “Closing” is available to watch here. A second new ad is “We Need Marsha.” In the video, President Donald Trump says, “We need Marsha Blackburn to win. We need Marsha in the Senate to continue the amazing progress and work that we’ve done over the last year and a half. This November this is the state where America’s comeback will continue full speed ahead. We need Marsha. We will make America great again.” “We Need Marsha” is available to watch here. Speaking about…

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These Are the Biggest Democrat Campaign Ad Fails of the Midterms

by Evie Fordham   Candidates have spent major money on advertisements to tell voters why they are the right choice — in fact, the Center for Responsive Politics predicted Monday that Democrats and Republicans will spend more than $5.2 billion this election cycle, making it the most expensive ever. However, these politicians might wish they had not wasted funds on these ads. Heidi Heitkamp’s Ad Gets A Politifact Takedown Democratic North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp ran an ad claiming that her Republican challenger Kevin Cramer gave himself a $23,000 raise while serving on the state’s Public Service Commission. PolitiFact rated the claim “False” Oct. 8. “Cramer did get raises totalling that amount. But the ad completely distorts Cramer’s hand in securing the pay increase,” PolitiFact explained. North Dakota’s governor collaborates with the state Office of Management and Budget to establish commissioners’ salaries, which are approved by the Legislative Assembly, according to PolitiFact. Other officials including North Dakota’s governor, secretary of state and state auditor received proportionally similar pay hikes. [ RELATED: The Midterm Elections Are One Week From Today — Here’s What You Can Expect ] Cramer is currently polling about 12 points above Heitkamp, according to RealClear Politics. Claire McCaskill’s…

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