Hassan books $13 million in fall airtime for reelection bid

New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan’s (D) reelection campaign announced a $13 million reservation in fall airtime ahead of November’s midterm elections. 

The reservation also includes the expensive Boston media market, according to a campaign memo released on Friday. 

Hassan’s campaign pointed to her recent successful fundraising hauls as evidence that the campaign will be able to afford pricey investments like the reservation if the trend continues. Hassan’s campaign raised $3.1 million in the last quarter of 2021, bringing her into the new year with $5.3 million in the bank. 

“Our campaign has built the infrastructure — and raised the resources — to communicate directly with voters about the Senator’s record of fighting for Granite Staters,” wrote Aaron Jacobs, Hassan’s campaign manager. “For five quarters in a row, Maggie For NH has broken fundraising records. That fundraising ability has allowed us to build a strong operation on the ground, with dozens of organizers already talking directly to Granite State voters.”

New Hampshire is set to be one of the more closely watched Senate races, which could determine which party controls the upper chamber. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “lean Democratic.”

Republicans have struggled to recruit a high-profile candidate to run against Hassan. Last year, Gov. Chris Sununu (R) opted to run for governor instead, dealing a major blow to Senate Republicans working to flip the seat. New Hampshire state Senate President Chuck Morse, Londonderry Town Manager Kevin Smith, and Don Bolduc are among the Republicans vying to take on Hassan. 

Hassan’s campaign acknowledged that they “expect a competitive” race, but noted that the GOP field faces an uphill climb ahead of the September primary. 

“New Hampshire hosts the second latest primary in the nation — September 13 — giving the eventual Republican nominee little time — and few resources — to communicate after emerging from what is set to be an extreme and chaotic primary,” Jacobs wrote.