President Trump’s campaign is confident that they have the election in the bag so as a sign of the strength of their position they canceled the upcoming television ad buys in the key states of Ohio and Iowa.
According to data from adtracking firm Kantar Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group, the canceled ad buys were worth $2.5 million in Ohio and $829,000 in Iowa for the upcoming week. President Trump had already cut way back on ad spending in Ohio in the past couple of months after outspending Joe Biden’s campaign by a considerable margin from May to September.
A Trump campaign spokeswoman made a statement regarding the pulling the ads saying, “President Trump and his campaign are extremely confident about our chances in these states. We have been talking directly with voters for years via multiple avenues about the success of President Trump’s America First agenda. Unlike Joe Biden, campaign ads aren’t the only way we know how to campaign.”
It’s not uncommon for their to be adjustments in ad spending during an election cycle. Just recently the Biden campaign canceled over $2 million in planned ads for Texas, Virginia, and Colorado.
With eighteen electoral votes up for grabs, Ohio is considered a key swing state in the 2020 election. President Trump won the state in 2016 by an eight point margin.
Ohio Republicans are sure their ground game will give them the advantage in the state. The Biden campaign has operated in a mostly virtual format during the coronavirus pandemic. Biden made his first in-person campaign stop In Ohio in months after the presidential debate in Cleveland, while President Trump held several rallies in the state just last month.
However, for the time being, Trump has postponed all personal appearances at campaign events due to his recent coronavirus diagnosis.
