Republicans hope to get lucky in Kentucky

Kentucky’s gubernatorial race is in full swing. Here’s how it's playing out online.

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Aug 11, 2023

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Kentucky’s gubernatorial race officially entered full-on, general election mode last weekend as both parties’ candidates attended the Fancy Farm Picnic, a marquee political event in the state where politicians attempt to give their stump speeches to boos and jeers from the other side.

November’s election in the Bluegrass State will no doubt be one of the most watched of 2023, as a popular incumbent Democrat in the middle of Trump country fends off culture war attacks to seek a second term.

In this week’s FWIW, we’ll break down online ad spending and messaging in that race - but first…

By the numbers

FWIW, political advertisers spent just over $8.8 million on Facebook and Instagram ads last week. These were the top ten spenders nationwide:

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and his allied super PAC, SOS America, combined to spend a massive amount of money on Facebook and Instagram ads last week. The major ad buy was a Hail Mary attempt to collect enough new small-dollar donors to get onto the GOP debate stage on August 23rd. His team’s efforts paid off: on Monday, they announced they had reached the 40,000 donor threshold.

Ohio voters headed to the polls on Tuesday and delivered a resounding blow to Republicans who tried to subvert the democratic process by raising the threshold for ballot measures to pass in the state. In the final week of campaigning over Issue 1, a variety of groups on both sides spent heavily on digital advertising to persuade and mobilize voters.

You can read our roundup on the Issue 1 digital ad wars here, and Dan Pfeiffer has published a great breakdown of what Tuesday’s win means for Democrats nationwide.

Meanwhile, political campaigns spent $1.4 million on Google and YouTube ads last week. Here were the top ten spenders nationwide:

Amid reports that his legal woes are becoming a major financial strain on his campaign, Donald Trump is back among the top ad spenders on Google this week. The ads that Team Trump is running nationwide are indeed very fundraising-oriented: just basic Google Search ads directing people to the Trump campaign official store.

On YouTube, the Republican Accountability PAC has been blanketing Iowa with testimonials from “two-time Trump voters” who will not support the former President this time around. Here’s one of their ads:

…and on Snapchat, political campaigns and organizations in the United States have spent around $1.6 million on advertising in 2023. Here are the top ten spenders YTD:

Your 2024 digital dispatch

FWIW, here’s how much money likely or confirmed 2024 presidential candidates have spent on Facebook + Google ads to date (1/1 - 8/5):

Francis Suarez and his allied Super PAC have now spent more on digital ads this year than the Trump campaign.

Mike Pence hit 40,000 small-dollar donors in the nick of time and will be on the RNC debate stage on August 23. We’ll see if he’s able to score more donors to land him a spot at the second debate or if he runs out of gas.

Does Vivek Ramaswamy have the most reactionary merch store of the 2024 campaigns?

From around the internet

Apparently, DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith has access to Donald Trump’s Twitter account. Release the drafts, Jack!

Speaking of Jack Smith, liberal clickbait Facebook pages are posting some weird content lionizing the career prosecutor. It’s not helpful.

Arizona election denier (and gubernatorial loser) Kari Lake plans to run for U.S. Senate next year, according to AXIOS. You can donate to her Democratic opponent here >>

Longtime Biden Digital Director Rob Flaherty has a new role on the campaign: Deputy Campaign Manager

Republicans hope to get lucky in Kentucky

Kentucky’s gubernatorial race officially entered full-on, general election mode last weekend as both party’s candidates attended the Fancy Farm Picnic, a marquee political event in the state where politicians attempt to give their stump speeches to boos and jeers from the other side.

Here’s how both sides are reaching voters with advertising online:

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