Political Ads Could hit $100 Million

By the time the races for both party's presidential nominations are over, it is estimated that total ad revenue from the candidates and interest groups who support them could top $100 million:

Presidential candidates, the political parties and interest groups will spend at least twice as much as they did in 2003-04 on TV ads before nominees are chosen, campaign advertising experts say.

A record $100 million or more will likely be paid to put campaign ads on the air by the time the Republican and Democratic races are effectively over, likely some time in February. And the allure of posting ads for free on YouTube and at campaign websites won't replace broadcast TV because that "old media" is better suited for reaching voters, the experts say.

One reason for the surge is that there are competitive races in both parties. With Dick Cheney declining to run, both races are wide open, contributing to the glut in campaign ads.

To put that $100 million figure in perspective, during the entire primary election cycle in 2003-2004, about $45 million was spent. That's a doubling of expenditures in 4 years - a huge amount even taking into account the above caveats.

A lot of that money is going to be spent between Thanksgiving and February 5 when the mega-primary day that will probably decide the races in both parties takes place.

What does it say about politics today? Those who get out early and raise a bundle of money like Hillary Clinton or Rudy Giuliani (or who have their own deep pockets like Mitt Romney) will almost certainly do well. All the also-rans can hope for is a lightening strike that will give them enough free publicity to make them competitive.

A helluva way to pick a president, no?