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Politics & Government

It's No Contest in New Jersey for Prime TV Time in U.S Senate Race

Incumbent Democrat Menendez has big edge over GOP's Kyrillos in polls, campaign funds and advertising budget.

Prime-time television viewers tuning in to “Dancing with the Stars,” “Revenge” or “Castle,” may see a familiar face -- Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

The incumbent is not tripping the light fantastic, plotting harm or solving crime. But in the closing weeks of his re-election campaign, Menendez has begun spending the funds in his impressive war chest on some high-profile advertising buys, even in the expensive New York and Philadelphia markets, even while he holds a double-digit lead over GOP opponent Joe Kyrillos.

Menendez's 30-second spots, detailing his rise from a humble background, are covering the airwaves, including national news and interview programs as well as syndicated favorites like “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune.”

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As Hurricane Sandy approached, Menendez started showing up on The Weather Channel, surrounded by smiling children as he cheerfully talked about his support for education.

Kyrillos, a Republican state senator from Monmouth County, also pops up in the pauses of the game shows, for 15 seconds at a time. But to catch a Kyrillos spot otherwise, it helps to like local news or to be up by 6 a.m. or after 11 p.m.

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It was not supposed to play out like this. A Trenton veteran with a reputation for moderation and bipartisanship, Kyrillos is on paper a plausible challenger for New Jersey’s junior senator.

In early August, Jamestown Associates, the Princeton and Baton Rouge, La., political consulting firm that handles Kyrillos’ advertising, was feeling flush enough that the campaign signed for $611,300 in commercials on WPVI, the ABC outlet in Philadelphia., from Oct. 9 through Election Day. That was only about $60,000 less than the Menendez media team spent.

The largest buys were $55,500 for 15 spots on the 11 p.m. local news, $54,000 for 15 more on “Access Hollywood” and another 15 on the 6 p.m. local news for $51,000. The campaign also earmarked a total of $57,000 for news and “Good Morning America” in the 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. hours.

Their big buy came after a second quarter in which Kyrillos coasted past three little-known opponents in the Republican primary. For a campaign taking on an incumbent, Kyrillos’ finances looked more than respectable, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. From April through June, Kyrillos took in $731,866 in net contributions, not far behind the $863,549 raised by Menendez.

But overall, while Kyrillos had raised more than $3 million and spent only about $1 million in the primary season, the incumbent’s total for the re-election cycle was already $14.3 million. And while Gov. Chris Christie expresses confidence in Kyrillos' chances, the polls all summer have not been encouraging, with some giving Menendez a more than 20-point advantage.

Securing the GOP nomination did not give Kyrillos a major funding surge. While donations ticked upward in the third quarter, they did not break $1 million. Through the end of September, his total was $4 million, with less than $1.7 million cash on hand, according to the FEC documents. In that same period, Menendez raised another $1.3 million, for a $15.6 million total. He still had in excess of $8.3 million in available cash, more than twice as much as Kyrillos’ cumulative fund-raising.

The finances of the Kyrillos campaign rest on a few pillars. Patriot Prosperity, the political action committee of casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson and Holmdel businessman Robert Harris, has contributed $360,000. Of that, $100,000 went in the third quarter to Target Enterprises of Los Angeles for ads.

The Morristown law firm of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney and Carpenter dwarfs other individual contributors, at $180,000 from the firm along with donations from partners. Managing partner Ed Deutsch hosted a fundraiser for Kyrillos with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Through the third quarter, the Bergen Anesthesia Group was second at $26,650.

Continue reading on NJSpotlight.com.

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