Hulshof Cutting TV Ads

Will R.G.A. Continue To Deliver?

Kenny Hulshof's campaign for Governor ran less television ads on KY3-TV this past week than it did the week before, a potential troubling sign of the financial state of his campaign, political insiders tell the KY3 Political Notebook.

According to KY3 Sales records, Hulshof spent $19,000 on television ads on Springfield's top-rated television station for this week, beginning Oct. 6th. On the previous week, beginning Sept. 29th, the Hulshof camp spent $37,000 on KY3. That's almost a 50 percent cut in ad buys in just seven days. For the week of Sept. 22, Hulshof spent $40,000 on KY3.

For comparison, Jay Nixon's campaign is moving in the opposite direction, incrementally increasing its advertising week by week. For the week of Sept. 22, Nixon spent $50,000 on KY3. On Sept. 29th, the campaign jumped to $56,000 worth of ads for the week. The past week, beginning Oct. 6th, Nixon spent $62,000 on KY3.

If you are wondering why you've seen so many more Nixon ads this past week than Hulshof ads, it's because his campaign bought triple the time Hulshof did.

KY3 General Sales Manager Bryan Cochran said Hulshof's trend is peculiar. "Typically, campaigns ramp up, not down," he said.

Hulshof campaign spokesperson Scott Baker said the drop in ad purchases "is part of the strategy." "We started out heavier," Baker said. "We're going to rotate in some additional messages, more than we have previously."

Still, some Republicans contacted by KY3 who asked for anonymity for fear of upsetting members of their party, said that the trend can mean just one thing: Hulshof has money problems. With competitive races in North Carolina and Washington, the question will be whether the Republican Governor's Association (R.G.A.) will continue to pour money into Hulshof's uphill battle against Nixon in Missouri.