If you're wondering, "Who the heck is Mike Franken and how did he just beat Abby Finkenauer in the IA-Sen primary?" then you haven't been reading Inside Elections!
A month ago I reported on Franken's momentum in the race:
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One big takeaway: advertising still matters! Here's what each candidate spent on TV, radio and Facebook in the Democratic primary...
Franken: $747k on TV/radio, $610k on Facebook
Finkenauer: $317k on TV/radio, $40k on Facebook
(via Kantar/CMAG)
One addendum: most of Franken's Facebook advertising was targeted outside of Iowa and was for fundraising. Just looking at Iowa-specific dollars, he spent $75k to Finkenauer's $34k.
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Looking at Google ads, it's a similar story, albeit on a smaller scale:
Franken- $28,900 total ($26,900 in Iowa)
Finkenauer- $18,600 total ($5,200 in Iowa)
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Replying to @JacobRubashkin and @williamjordann
The TV/digital discrepancy there is fun
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In the markets where Franken (left) outspent Finkenauer (right) — Cedar Rapids, Des Moines — he beat her.
She outspent him in Davenport, and beat him there (also closer to where she's from).
Neither spent in Omaha or Mason City, and she won there too.
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That's consistent with both:
-Finkenauer being the natural and initial frontrunner
-Franken's paid media push being crucial to his victory
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And campaign quality matters since Finkenauer spent $3.2 million overall to Frankens $2.6. Franken better managed his money to have that media spending advantage
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