Kerry expanding ads to GOP-leaning Virginia

[JI7]

<WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrat John Kerry will spend roughly $17 million on campaign advertising in June and television commercials will air in Republican-leaning Virginia, as well as on channels targeting blacks and Hispanics.

The presumptive Democratic nominee will be the only presidential candidate on the air in Virginia, making a foray into a state that President Bush solidly won in 2000, and in Louisiana, where Bush no longer is running ads.

Kerry's new commercials begin Wednesday in media markets in 20 states and nationally on cable networks. His 60-second biographical ads -- in an unprecedented $25 million buy -- ended Thursday, and his strategists have said the next wave would flesh out his position on issues.

The campaign has made good on its promise to try to expand the number of states where the race is contested from the 17 states considered battlegrounds.

Earlier this month, Kerry started running ads in those states, as well as in Colorado and Louisiana, all but forcing Bush to broadcast commercials in the two GOP-leaning states to keep the Democrat from making inroads. >

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0821_BC_Kerry-CampaignAds&&news&election2004

[bluestateguy]

1. Good!

John Kerry has been listening to bluestateguy. Virginia must be contested. Clinton lost it by 2 in 1996, Gore lost it by 8 and ran no campaign there. VA has a Democratic governor and has a high percentage of college educated adults, as well as many non-native southerners. It can be won if he will fight for it. In fact, I like his chances there better than in Tennessee.

[JI7]

2. at the very least

it will force republicans to compete in a state many considered to be safely theirs. and even if we don't win in 2004, i think the efforts will pay off in future elections and the state will start to be seen as more of a swing state than a republican state.

[efhmc]

10. This is what I always tell Dem Texans who think Kerry should not waste

time or money here. The last 2000 election really harmed us because there was no National presence here.

[underpants]

13. W did that in Ca. in 2000

He campaigned a lot in Ca. and I think Oregon to make Gore fly out there and away from Fla.

The fact that Kerry will not take Va. for granted will pay off in big ways right now.

[JI7]

23. but Kerry actually has a chance in Va unlike Bush in Ca

and that's the key. virginia is a state that many saw as solid gop. the democrats plan to win the election is not dependent on virginia. but if the numbers look good for kerry he can at least make it competitive by not spending too much in the state as in other states like ohio, but forcing bush to spend in a state which they thought was safely theirs. it certainly can't hurt us.

[cap]

4. the dot coms in NOVA went belly up...

lot of factory closings in SouthSide...

Kerry can put together the Warner coalition to win the state.

[MidwestTransplant]

3. Maybe Mark Warner a VP candidate?

[Bandit]

17. What is with you DUers that want a Republican on the Democratic ticket?

Do you not think the Democrats can put forth a formidable enough candidate or just trolling?

[TahitiNut]

20. Uhhh... Mark Warner is a Democrat

[Bandit]

21. D'oh ...Never mind

I was thinking of the other Warner ~ John I think. Senator I believe who is on Armed Forces committee overseeing Prison abuse.

[dusty64]

5. Keep the regime on

the offensive, that is an EXCELLENT strategy. I bet (fair vote counting assumed) that a few of these "red" states will turn blue in November.

[PATRICK]

6. Smart on a lot of fronts

One being that if Bush has not aired many negative ads here it is a good place to study Kerry's pre-emption with positive ads. It would then give a slimier impression if bubble boy tried to go cheaply negative.

If it works well, let both sides smell a rout.

How long can Bush afford to deny his weakness and leave this key state undefended? It is easier for Kerry to trust NY and CA, a true black hole for Bush ads.

[underpants]

11. What Kerry should do in Va. (as Warner did)

3 days that is all this will take.

Get on route 58 and head west, into the all but ignored SW part of the state. Warner did this and that part of the state won him the election. If Kerry does that (with visits into N/NW Carolina and an end loop into Tenn./WV) he can take Va.

Here's the kicker. Photo-op with a bluegrass band (will play well all over the rural south and rural US) hell get a bluegrass band to go with him and put on at least one free concert.3

I am sending this to the Va. Dems. I am volunteering after this weekend.

[Buns_of_Fire]

16. Indeed. SW Virginia is NOT "boosh* Country"

Actually, I've yet to meet ONE person around here who likes boosh* (well, there was my cousin's husband, but he's gone eerily quiet now :evilgrin:). Too many plant closings, too many older people who are starting to see through the Medicare bait-and-switch, and too much general distress in this area (even more so than traditionally). Heck, we even have a Democratic congressman (Boucher) who's a fixture in the area.

Go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[belladonna]

7. That's GREAT news

I've been telling anyone who'll listen that we're up for grabs come November. I think Kerry has a real shot at taking Virginia this time, at least from what I'm hearing everywhere I go these days. Our economy's in the crapper, we've lost too many soldiers and I think Virginia is FINALLY ready to go Dem after all these years.

[Neecy]

8. hmmmm

I don't think they'd be spending this kind of cash unless their internal polling showed some movement away from Bush. Great news.

[underpants]

12. A co-worker told me that he saw a poll that W was only ahead by 1-2%

in Va. I looked for it but I couldn't find it on the web. :shrub:

From the people I have talked to that sounds about right.

[nixonwasbetterthanW]

9. meantime, in Memphis ...

... last weekend I saw a bunch of Bush/Cheney ads. The states covered in the Memphis market are Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, which means W is playing defense in the Mid and possibly Deep South.

[kimchi]

14. Glad to see he's fighting for it.

I'm working on registering more voters in NVa, where population density is heaviest. If Kerry just spends some time in the south, with, as someone suggested, a Bluegrass theme, it will be sewn up.

[carolinayellowdog]

15. Let's help Kerry pay for those ads!

Hey,

I've been a skeptic about carrying VA (where I vote) but am thrilled by this news and its implication about polling results. VA has much to be ashamed of: Robertson, Falwell, a dysfunctional R-dominated General Assembly, one of the longest runs of R victories at the presidential level. If we could push Kerry over the top it would be one of my happiest moments ever.

Northern VA, Hampton Roads, Southwest VA, and several Southside counties with large black populations will definitely go Kerry. But the Richmond area and the Valley are solid R territory. Turnout will be crucial in this battle.

So here goes another $100.

CYD

[Media_Lies_Daily]

18. I've seen them here in Alabama...they look good.

[diamond14]

19. Virginians: please help us take VA for Kerry (link)

WE can do it with YOUR help...just a little time from YOU would turn Virginia to Kerry.....

there are a number of outreach events this weekend...and we need YOUR help, please !!!....just volunteer to stand at the booth during county fairs and other events, and hand out Kerry info with a SMILE....

we are also doing a BIG voter registration drive....come join us...PLEASE, we need YOUR help....

-Community Outreach
-Fundraising and Events
-Media Outreach
-You name it !

and always....donations of money are the BEST....pays for booth costs, signs, transportation, permits, handouts, and more....

the crowd at the new Kerry airplane (DC Airport) was VIRGINIANS !!
can you help us at Kerry appearances, like that?

we're going to do several 'road trips' into rural Virginia this summer (leaving the heavily populated Northern Virginia and out into tobacco fields)....can you help? it'll be fun and interesting....

we expecially need volunteers who speak Spanish and Korean for our voter registration drives and booths at fairs...are YOU bilingual? do you know someone who is bilingual? can you help us find volunteers?


here's the web link for Northern Virginia (NoVA)
send an email and volunteer for THIS WEEKEND booths, or anytime you can...thanks....let's take back America !!

http://www.novaforkerry.com

[abelenkpe]

22. not to sound

discouraging but my family living in Virginia are a hopeless cause. They won't even read the Washington Post anymore because they are convinced it is a liberal rag. It's sad and pathetic. My aunt and uncle work for the democratic party and live in Northern VA, so they are gonna vote for Kerry anyway. I do think it is a good strategy to make an effort to campaign in that state though. There have been a lot of jobs lost during the dot com crash and with the layoffs from all the big telephone/communication companies. Also there are a lot of retired veterans in the state who must be miffed over the cuts in veterans health care and the way the current administration is treating military personnel in general.

However, I have never seen an ad by Kerry or one produced by MoveOn.org. Never. Which makes it difficult for me to see how they are effective. OK, I don't really watch much TV. I only watch basketball or tennis or football, but if there are no ads for Kerry or by MoveOn.org on during those ad heavy broadcasts aren't they missing out on a huge audience? Is it that sports shows refuse to show those ads? Or are those ads not being shown in Los Angeles?