Washington — The presidential candidates have spent almost $195 million on television ads so far in this extended primary season, with the Democratic contenders shelling out the bulk at about $136 million, an analysis of political advertising shows.
Democrat Barack Obama himself has outspent all the Republicans combined by more than $17 million. The GOP primary race ended in March when John McCain claimed his party’s nomination.
The University of Wisconsin’s Advertising Project analyzed data from the TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, a firm that tracks political advertising. The study looked at more than 327,000 ads that aired during the primary season.