From what I'd heard, it was not certain that TV ads would be a part of the Dem primary for lieutenant governor. That has changed.
Henry Sanders, whose campaign has but $10,000 on hand, just started running two ads. The second one prominently features Tammy Baldwin and Mayor Dave and is only running in the Madison media market. It's not a bad idea, considering what a large proportion of Dem primary voters are in the Madison area. A very appealing cast of characters to Dane Dems.
Spencer Coggs also put out a TV spot, in which he emphasizes his endorsements from organized labor and his record in the Senate at creating jobs. The power of Coggs connections in the legislature and in Milwaukee is made clear on his latest campaign finance report. Almost all of the $44,000 Coggs raised in the last quarter comes from PACs, most of which represent labor groups.
And then there's Tom Nelson, whose fundraising so far dwarfs that of his opponents. In the last quarter, he raised $72,300, about 26,000 of which came from PACs. Nelson also got some union support, but he also received money from some business interests and liberal interest groups, including a $10,000 check from the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. I can't find Nelson's ad online, but I heard he released one a few days ago.
Nelson has money, Coggs has tons of friends and a strong Milwaukee base, and Sanders has been campaigning hard across the state for a long time now, and has gained a lot of name recognition in Madison. I would guess that either Coggs or Nelson would benefit from a low turnout in the primary since they both have name-recognition and bases who will vote for them at the polls without ever having heard a word from them during the campaign.
The Sanders people say he has a strong grassroots campaign to counter the big names and money of his opponents. I can't really begin to assess the claim. If Sanders has any chance, it better be true.
