Rubio buying TV ads early in Nevada

The political television ad season for presidential candidates is springing to life in Nevada.

So far, it's the season of buying — not airing.

But local TV watchers should expect to see plenty of such ads as the Silver State moves closer to its Republican and Democratic caucuses in February.

Nevada's status as an early-voting state plays a key role in determining who will land the Democratic and Republican nominations for president.

So far, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is the biggest spender on ads that will appear on local Nevada television stations before the caucuses, according to Federal Communications Commissions filings through Sept. 30.

Rubio has spent $76,935 on 477 television spots, the data show. It's an early move: The purchased reserved spots won't air until January and February in Las Vegas and Reno markets, giving him exposure in the critical weeks leading up to the caucuses.

That's no surprise to political observers, who don't expect the airways to be inundated with ads from candidates until late this year at the soonest, or early next year.

Rubio, who spent part of his childhood in Las Vegas before moving to West Miami, will use his family's background to try connecting with voters, including those who work in the service industry of Southern Nevada. His father was a bartender, his mother a hotel maid. On the campaign trail, he often talks of how they were able to buy a house and retire in dignity, as people pursuing the American dream should.

"Nevada is a state we intend to spend a significant amount of time in for multiple reasons," Rubio said in an editorial board meeting with the Review-Journal on Friday. "Number 1 is obviously, I have an affinity to it, having lived here for a long time."

The only other GOP candidate to buy Nevada spots so far is U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who purchased a couple of ads that ran in April.

"It's not a surprise that Rubio is out of the gate first," said Eric Herzik, chairman of the political science department at the University of Nevada, Reno. "He's probably the best organized in the state, certainly among Republicans."

"He also sees Nevada as a real opportunity for him to score big, stressing his roots in Nevada, the fact that he's Latino, that he can talk to both conservatives and traditional Republicans. This is his kind of state."

Democrat efforts

While Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton hasn't bought any ads on Nevada stations yet, her campaign said she has put some on national cable networks that are broadcast in the state.

A Clinton campaign ad that began airing last week highlights House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's comment linking politics and polls to the House Select Committee on Benghazi. The committee was formed to investigate the terrorist attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and other Americans on Sept. 11, 2012.

"Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right?" McCarthy said on news show footage in the ad. "But we put together a Benghazi special committee. What are her numbers today?"

The ad's takeaway: Republicans are spending millions of dollars to attack Clinton because she's fighting for issues they oppose, such as equal pay and affordable health care.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., hasn't bought any television ads yet. Records show he has requested ad rates in Nevada and Iowa. The campaign is holding off for now, but eventually will have television ads, an aide said, noting they will face the "big money machines."

Iowa draw

For now, more money is going to television stations in Iowa, in part because of that state's earlier caucus. Candidates who aren't yet spending in Nevada are putting millions of dollars toward reserving ad space there.

The Iowa caucus, which will be the first in the nation, will be Feb. 1.

In Nevada, the first in the West, the Democrats will caucus Feb. 20 and the Republicans on Feb. 23.

Campaigns had poured more than $7.4 million toward Iowa television ads by the end of September, FCC filings show.

Clinton's campaign has spent nearly $3.9 million for 8,515 spots on Iowa stations. She has spent nothing yet for Nevada television stations.

Rubio's campaign has spent $3.3 million for 6,612 spots in Iowa.

The campaign of Republican and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has purchased 345 spots in Iowa markets for $124,150, but none in Nevada. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a Republican candidate, has purchased 370 spots in Iowa for $83,195. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has spent $1,550 in Iowa for three spots, which already aired.

Those figures don't include outside spending groups, which have been active on Rubio's behalf in Iowa. Two outside spending groups, Conservative Solutions PAC and Conservative Solutions Project, have purchased a combined $2.1 million to air nearly 1,600 pro-Rubio spots on Iowa TV stations in advance of that state's caucuses, The Des Moines Register reported on its website Saturday night.

Compared to Iowa, Nevada so far has not been a battleground for PACs when it comes to supporting or attacking presidential candidates. One pro-Rubio spot will air on Telemundo, the Spanish language TV station. Back in April, 129 anti-Rand Paul spots aired on local stations KTNV, KVMY, KVVU and KLAS for a total of $76,056.

'OD on Trump'

For Republican front-runner Donald Trump, the lack of television ads gives him one more reason to brag. Trump has been leading the polls among Republican contenders since the summer.

The ads don't appear because he said he doesn't need them.

"I get so much publicity," Trump said at a campaign appearance at the TI in Las Vegas on Thursday. He added it would be "crazy" to get advertising.

"What do I need it for, right?" Trump said, as a room of about 1,600 applauded. "No, it's true. At CNN, they say 'All Trump, all the time.' And then you put an ad in. It's like people would OD on Trump. They'd say, 'I can't take it anymore.'"

But even for Trump, TV ads are on the horizon.

"So I spent zero on ads — zero," Trump said. "... At some point I'll do the ads. But I don't know if I get credit because I'm self-funding. Do people in this room know that I'm self-funding?"

The crowd roared.

— Review-Journal database editor Adelaide Chen contributed to this report. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com. Follow him: @BenBotkin1