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Study: Michigan Ad Spending One-Sided for Presidential, Senate Races

WKAR Public Media | By Jake Neher

Published October 8, 2012 at 7:55 PM EDT

Michigan TV viewers are overwhelmed with ads from one side in both the presidential and U.S. Senate races. That’s according to a report released Monday by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

Groups supporting Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign have spent about $13 million since February on TV ads. That’s far more than the Obama campaign and its supporters. Despite this disparity, most polls have President Obama ahead of the former Massachusetts governor in Michigan.

Rich Robinson is with the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. He says when you compare Michigan to states like Ohio, neither candidate has put up much of a fight over the airwaves.

“The lack of spending in Michigan, I think, is really an indication that we are not one of the real battleground states this time around,” he says.

The study also shows former Congressman Pete Hoekstra trailing in TV ad spending behind Senator Debbie Stabenow. But Hoekstra’s campaign has just announced a big TV ad buy.