DSCC shifts dollars out of Florida and Ohio
The top group helping Democrats win Senate seats is canceling advertising in Florida and Ohio to invest more heavily in Missouri and North Carolina.
{mosads}The financial rejiggering by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spells the latest disappointment for Ohio Democratic Senate hopeful Ted Strickland, who is being abandoned by the party as he plummets in the polls. It’s also ominous for Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy, who’s fighting incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida.
By shifting cash, the Democrats are revealing two elements of their strategy that would have surprised anyone 18 months ago: They believe they can win in Missouri and North Carolina.
A DSCC official confirmed the cancelation of Florida and Ohio buys for the period between Oct. 4 and 10. The source said the DSCC has put an additional $2 million into Missouri and $4.2 million into North Carolina, as well as $2.5 million into Indiana, where former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh is looking to win back his seat.
Following these new cancellations in Florida and Ohio, the DSCC still has about $6 million reserved in the Sunshine State and $5 million in the Buckeye State. Initially, the group had booked $10 million of ad reservations in each.
“As we’ve said from the very beginning, spending levels would be adjusted across the map. North Carolina and Missouri are both increasingly competitive races where we have put Republican incumbents on defense in the fights of their lives,” the official said.
“The Ohio and Florida races are both still good turf for Democrats and we continue to make targeted investments in those states.”
The investments reveal a shifting map for Democrats, as a handful of states did not cooperate with conventional wisdom.
Ohio looks out of reach for Democrats, as Portman now holds a 13 point lead in RealClearPolitics’ recent polling average. The Florida race is closer, but Democratic plans to take the seat have been frustrated by Rubio’s surprise decision to run for reelection.
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