Sep 30, 2024 - News
Charted: Local Democrats way outspend GOP
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We of course know that the Seattle area has grown increasingly blue in recent years. But the degree to which local Democratic campaigns appear to be outspending Republicans this year has surprised even us.
Zoom in: In the Seattle metro area, Democratic campaigns and outside groups spent close to $9 million on political ads between Aug. 5 and Sept. 20, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks ad spending.
- Republicans spent only about $385,000 in the same timeframe, per AdImpact.
Thought bubble: This may reflect some of the financial difficulties plaguing the Washington State Republican Party, which ended August with less than $60,000 in the main account it uses to support state-level campaigns.
- Some party insiders told The Seattle Times this month that certain donors were turned off by rancor at the party's state convention, where the party endorsed far-right gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird before the August primary.
- Former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, a more traditional Republican, came out ahead of Bird in the primary and will compete against Democrat Bob Ferguson for governor in November.