House Dems reserve $12.6M in fall TV ads

The House Democrats’ campaign arm is reserving $12.6 million in general election TV ads as the party rallies for the House majority in November’s midterm election.

The ad blitz will help the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) compete with its GOP counterpart and other outside groups who are pouring in millions of dollars into the fight for the House.

The DCCC’s independent expenditure purchased the ad buy for the final month of the midterm campaign, a source with knowledge of the buy confirmed to The Hill. The DCCC will likely reserve more ad time in the months leading up to the November elections.

The ad reservations were reported first by Roll Call.

The initial ad buy will target eight media markets that serve some of the most closely watched House races this cycle. The committee is spending seven-figures in Miami, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, all of which have House races where Democrats need to flip the seat.

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Minnesota has several races that make up a critical part of the equation for Democrats seeking to take back the House. The party is targeting a GOP-held seat in a district that has well-educated suburban voters, but are also defending a few seats where President Trump won in 2016’s election.

Pennsylvania now presents a number of opportunities for Democrats — particularly in Philadelphia’s suburbs. Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court ruled that the districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered by Republicans and ordered a new congressional map ahead of the state’s May 15 primary election.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which announced its ad reservations last month, is spending $60.2 million in 13 cities.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC with ties to House GOP leadership, reserved $38 million in TV ads running on broadcast and cable and another $10 million on digital ads. Those ads will blanket a total of 30 districts and are aimed mainly at incumbent protection, as well as a few open seats.

House Majority PAC, a super PAC linked to Democratic leadership, reserved $43 million on TV ads on broadcast and cable. That buy covers 33 media markets in 20 states and Washington, D.C.

Here’s the full breakdown of the DCCC’s ad reservations in each media market:

–Boston/Manchester, N.H.: $583,079

–Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa: $545,309

–Detroit, Mich.: $728,500

–Lansing, Mich.: $219,300

–Miami: $1,996,650

–Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.: $6,170,045

–Philadelphia: $1,698,891

–Washington, D.C.: $717,039