Biden Super PAC plans historic $250 million ad blitz
The main Democratic super PAC backing President Biden's re-election bid, Future Forward, will this week begin earmarking $250 million in ads in key battleground states, a blitz it says will be the largest single purchase of political ads by a super PAC is. in the country's history.
The ads, which will be split between $140 million on television and $110 million on digital and streaming platforms, will begin the day after the Democratic National Convention ends in August and continue through Election Day, the super PAC said.
The ad reservation covers seven states seen as key presidential battlegrounds: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The super PAC said it was setting aside more than $16 million for television and cable advertising in Atlanta and $12 million in Phoenix TV markets — the largest in the two states that Mr. Biden won in 2020 for the first time in years. Democratic column brought. . It is also spending heavily in smaller markets in battleground states: $3 million each in Madison, Wis., and Reno, Nev., and $2 million in Flint, Mich.
The digital booking includes approximately $35 million on YouTube, and more on other streaming platforms including Hulu, Roku and Vevo, plus the streaming services of Spanish-language giants Telemundo and Univision.
Future Forward is also targeting some of the same demographic groups of more disaffected and disengaged Democrats that the Biden campaign itself is targeting: younger voters, Hispanic voters and Black voters.
The booking comes entirely from Future Forward's super PAC, known as FF PAC. The group also has a nonprofit that advertised last year. The super PAC and nonprofit previously announced this Raising $208 million by 2023meaning the group has likely made even more money in pledges.
“The stakes of this election couldn't be higher, and by Election Day, every battleground voter will know it,” said Chauncey McLean, the president of the Forward Future super PAC. “We will implement a cost-effective and data-driven program of unprecedented scale to re-elect Joe Biden.”
The $250 million ad buy is more than any independent expenditure group spent for the entire 2020 election. Future Forward spent $151 million to support Mr. Biden four years ago and will take on an even more important role in 2024 after the White House named the super PAC as the lead outside group this year. The leading super PAC that supported President Donald J. Trump in 2020, America First Action, spent $150 million.
By reserving ads early, the super PAC is expected to be able to negotiate better rates than those who buy later and secure some of the most coveted time slots.
As it becomes increasingly likely that the Republican Party will nominate Trump again, Democrats are hoping that their constellation of supportive super PACs will provide the party with a significant financial advantage.
The main pro-Trump super PAC announced it had raised $46 million in the second half of 2023 and about $60 million for the full year — far less than Future Forward.