This is a 30,000-foot view of ads that have aired or been reserved from Aug. 1 to Election Day. Let’s break it down.
Ohio: Republicans have $189 million in reservations while Democrats have $118.7 million. The delta: $70.2 million.
Texas: The GOP is in for $105.3 million compared to Democrats’ $40 million. The delta: $65.3 million.
Michigan: Republicans have booked $89.8 million in ads to Democrats’ $56.2 million. The delta: $33.7 million.
Maine: Republicans have spent or reserved $81.1 million in ads to Democrats’ $56.6 million. The delta: $24.5 million.
Iowa: The GOP has booked $73 million in ads compared to Democrats’ $52 million. The delta: $21 million.
Alaska: The GOP booked $36.4 million in ads compared to Democrats’ $21.6 million. The delta: $14.8 million.
North Carolina: The GOP has booked $75.4 million in ads compared to Democrats’ $66.8 million. The delta: $8.6 million.
New Hampshire: Republicans have $32.6 million booked compared to Democrats’ $26.6 million. The delta: $6 million.
Georgia: The Peach State is the only place Democrats have the edge with $65.3 million in ads compared to the GOP’s $47.7 million. The delta: $17.5 million.
The prospects, however, aren’t as bleak for Democrats as they might seem. That’s because some of their candidates are very well-funded and candidates can buy ads at a much cheaper rate than super PACs.
So in North Carolina, Republicans are spending nearly $9 million more but Democrats are actually ahead in gross rating points, a measure of how often an ad is seen. Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is running circles around Republican Michael Whatley in fundraising and that’s negating some of the GOP spending advantage there.
The blockbusters. Ohio is the most expensive Senate race by far, drawing more than $307 million on ads from both parties combined.
The next most expensive race is Michigan with nearly $146 million, followed by Texas with $145.3 million and North Carolina with $142.3 million.
Except… what’s the message?
Xi Wants To Convince Trump To Abandon Taiwan
In April, the leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party traveled to mainland China for a red-carpet six-day tour, the first such visit in nearly a decade.
Officials treated Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang, or KMT, to high-level meetings and a Shanghai river cruise. The chairman of Meituan, one of China’s biggest tech companies, gave Cheng a plushy kangaroo, the corporate mascot. Capping it off, Cheng got an audience with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
His hands were as “soft as clouds,” Cheng said later.
