Trump money crunch limiting his battleground options
by David M. Drucker, Senior Political Correspondent |
| September 17, 2020 06:30 AM
The Trump campaign’s cash crunch is limiting the president’s strategic options as he battles to overtake Democratic nominee Joe Biden, with Republicans warning the shortfall is undercutting plans to expand the map of competitive states and jeopardizing outreach to key voters.
Last month, Biden outraised President Trump in August by more than $150 million. That steep financial disparity heading into the critical, post-Labor Day period, combined with the Trump campaign’s heavy burn rate for several months previous, forced the cancellation of millions of dollars in battleground state ads. Biden countered with a major buy across television and digital platforms that went virtually uncontested in some crucial media markets.
With seven weeks until Election Day and early voting underway, Republican strategists worry that Biden’s advertising advantage could drown out Trump’s message to voters who have not committed to voting for him. Republicans also fret the Trump campaign’s tighter budget leaves fewer resources to capitalize on any political updraft and press Biden in states that might break in his direction down the stretch.
“When you are being outspent, the key becomes training the resources you do have on the absolute crucial targets that still lead you to victory,†said Nick Everhart, a Republican media consultant in Ohio. “In a presidential race, that means not spreading spending thin and trying to keep pace everywhere but focusing it in on your absolute must-win states to hit 270.â€
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