NRCC Cancels $580K Ad Buy in Support of Jenkins

As just a little more evidence of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda's strong standing among her fellow Kansans (and her opponent's free fall), the National Republican Campaign Committee has canceled their television ad buy in support of State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins.

That's $580,000 Jenkins was relying on to drag her across the finish line- and now it's just gone.

With the week Jenkins has had- revelations she has missed all of the meetings of the KPERS Board of Trustees in them same quarter the retirement fund lost $1 billion paired with the fact she refuses to say where she was instead of in her chair listening during those meetings ( *cough* stroking her own ambition *cough*) AND the massive cash-on-hand lead Boyda had over her after the bloody Republican primary- news now that she's $580,000 in the hole....this might even manage to take over as the "saddest day" in little Lynn's life.

UPDATE: The KC Star is reporting the NRCC didn't totally cancel their planned by in support of Jenkins, or so says the Jenkins campaign. We'll all believe that when we actually see an ad on the TV.

Ryun Airs Negative TV Ad

Republicans being all negative today:

Jenkins Goes Negative

Gloves = off.

Update on Jenkins/ Ryun Ad Buys

Just as a quick update as to media expenditures from Lynn Jenkins & Jim Ryun:

Jenkins:

Topeka: WIBW, KSNT and KTKA- total of 91 spots for $11,075
Kansas City: KMBC- 45 spots for $20,855
Joplin: KSN, KODE, KOAM and KFJX- total of 102 spots for $11,425

Total buy: $43,355

Ryun:

Topeka: WIBW & KTMJ- total of 138 spots for $14,960
Cable: 206 spots for $1,981
Joplin: KOAM & KFJX- total of 104 spots for $12,680

Total buy: $29,621

Jenkins Buys TV Stupid; Wastes Money Talkin' To Dennis Moore's Voters

Yesterday we brought you the news Lynn Jenkins had (finally) expanded her TV commercial buy outside of the Joplin, MO market- but instead of doing the logical- buying Topeka time to target her Topeka-centric district, Jenkins went all stupid and spent ridiculously more money (per spot) to talk to significantly fewer of her potential voters with a $21,000 ad by on KMBC (the Kansas City, MO ABC affiliate).

That $21K bought her 45 ads

For some perspective: The buy Jim Ryun made that ran from July 15- 21 was on all of the Topeka stations and in Joplin- a total of 381 spots for a grand total of $23,215.

Ryun: 380 spots for $23K
Jenkins: 45 spots for $21K

You don't have to be a CPA to understand who got the better deal on this one...

At Least She's Trying Now: Jenkins' Ad Buy

From Roll Call (sub. required)-

State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, hoping to upend former Rep. Jim Ryun in the 2nd district Republican primary, is up with her first television ad of the campaign, although the buy is limited.

Jenkins on Tuesday launched a mostly positive, 30-second spot on broadcast television in the Joplin-Pittsburg market, which covers about 21 percent of the Republican-leaning, eastern Kansas 2nd district. The Jenkins campaign bought 500 gross ratings points for the ad, which focuses on government spending, taxes and immigration.

For someone with pitiful name ID in most of her district, it's unfortunate she's decided to only talk to a handful of voters. What, Lynn, out of money? Or are you dumb enough to have suddenly become over-confident?

Will someone tell her yard signs don't actually vote...

DCCC to spend $1.2 million on TV in the KS-02

From the Associated Press & TMP, the DCCC has announced plans to spend $35 million in potentially vulnerable districts before the November election, and the Kansas 2nd is on that list.

We've just obtained from a Democratic source a long list of 31 races that the DCCC has decided to target with ads this fall -- a list that offers a glimpse into the national Dems' view of which Republican seats are ripe targets and which Dems are vulnerable.

The DCCC's list adds up to over $34 million on TV ads this September and October in 31 targeted districts, a move designed to swamp the NRCC with the Dems' huge cash advantage.

More power to them.

According to TMP Election Central, the cut for the Kansas 2nd will be $1.2 million. We will remind everyone (because the Republicans will lie about it if we don't), these are independent expenditure figures, this isn't (because it can't be) a coordinated effort with the campaign.

It's interesting, also, that the DCCC has decided to invest in the race, if only because Congresswoman Nancy Boyda declined participation in the Frontline program, which is dedicated to rasing money for potentially vulnerable members.

Every dollar that makes it harder for the Republicans to unseat Boyda makes the folks at this blog pleased.

UPDATE: And just so we are all aware...that's 16,200 points. That, my friends, is HUGE.

Jenkins is Correct: Ryun's New Ad Overstates His Recrod on BRAC

Lynn Jenkins spokesman little Joshie Hersh and this blog has agreed on so very little these many months, but his statements, made to AP reporter John Hanna yesterday, are right on the money regarding Jim Ryun's new "not only did it save all the military bases in Kansas from certain closure, but I also single-handedly beat the Russians" campaign ad.

In 2005, Kansas did well compared with other states as the federal government picked military installations to be shut down, even gaining an estimated 3,600 military and civilian jobs as changes were made. Only the Parsons Army Ammunition Plant was targeted for closing.

Jenkins spokesman Josh Hersh said the work of others, including Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts and 1st District Rep. Jerry Moran, was crucial.

"The whole Kansas delegation had a big part in that process," he said. "No one of them single-handedly saved those bases."

Absolutely right- every member of the Kansas delegation was insturmental to keeping the bases open in Kansas, and it's disingenuious of Ryun to claim he was any more important than any other member.

But Mr. Hersh wasn't done:

Hersh also said the ad raises questions about Ryun's true position on earmarks because in it, the colonel praises Ryun for "setting up the infrastructure" at Forbes Field and Fort Riley and an unidentified supporter adds, "Jim came through for us."

Ryun has said previously that he will not support new funding earmarks in the budget. Jenkins has pledged to support reforms of the budgeting process so that earmarks are limited to projects of national interest.

Hersh said Ryun is being inconsistent.

"That would kind of raise the question of what that is going to mean for the district," Hersh said.

Ah, indeed it does. When Jim Ryun did "deliver" for the military bases in his district when he used to be in Congress, he did it via earmarks. When Congresswoman Nancy Boyda has delivered, she's used earmarks, and, one would assume, Lynn Jenkins would indeed attempt to do the same thing. With Ryun's new found aversion to earmarks, he's going to be up a creek without a paddle.

And, of course, there's that whole disasterous vote Ryun cast to defund $300 million worth of BRAC projects in Kanas right after the 2006 election, too. Thank God Nancy Boyda was able to get the money reinstated, because Ryun obviously didn't care about the people of the district very much after they voted him out of office. All comes together to show a man who probably shouldn't be trusted to actually be in that position again.

Lynn Jenkins, you say? By her own admission, her training as a CPA has prepared her for many things (like straightening out the federal books...such a mess...let's pray we dont' get audited...), but the one thing she doesn't know a damned thing about our armed forces and the needs of our men and women in uniform. Trusting her with protecting our bases would be a lot like trusting Jim Ryun to rein in federal spending...

Oh, by the way- 'member the retired colonel Ryun features so prominently in his ad? As far as we can find, he's never ever served in Kansas and, now, he's a lobbyist in Virginia. We aren't questioning his previous service to our nation, but you would have though Ryun would have found someone from or who had served in, say, Kansas, to back up his story.

Ryun's New TV Spot Focuses on BRAC, Misleads Voters

For those of you watching television in the Topeka media market this morning you've probably already seen it, but Jim Ryun's newest campaign commercial takes credit for keeping Kansas military bases from being closed during the last round of the Base Re-Alignment and Closure program (BRAC).

UPDATE: And here's the ad:

Never mind Ryun & his old buddies in Congress dropped the ball at the very end of 2006 and refused to fund 2007 BRAC projects, specifically Kansas BRAC projects...never mind Ryun, because of his inaction, nearly lost Kansas military bases more than $300 million.

From the Topeka Capital-Journal:

Bottom line, the lame-duck Congress didn't pass a fiscal 2007 budget last fall. Instead, the 109th Congress approved a continuing resolution, financing the Base Realignment and Closure Commission at 2006 levels but eliminating money for projects at both Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth.

That's money Ryun cut- and that Congresswoman Nancy Boyda put back in. She did better than just put back in, though:

By late January, with the second continuing resolution on the verge of expiring, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed another resolution that actually raised BRAC funding by $1 billion.

Never mind that.

Ryun Drops $30K on New TV Spot

We've just learned the Jim Ryun campaign has purchased another round of TV, spending almost $30K on 276 spots in the Topeka and Joplin markets.

Indicators point to this buy being a new ad, but we don't yet have confirmation on that.

UPDATE: Make that 294 ads- he also bought 10 spots on KTMJ, the Topeka FOX affiliate. The ad will be up July 8.

Ryun vs. Jenkins -or- TV vs. Yard Signs

Particularly for the folk in the Topeka media market, it's been hard to watch broadcast TV the last two weeks without seeing Jim Ryun's "awkward as a colt" commercial. The message certainly as saturated...but, like Ric Anderson pointed out a week ago, it's a message that saturated, say, 40 years ago.

1. As part of congressional candidate Jim Ryun's bid to win the Republican primary, his campaign began airing a TV commercial focusing on his background as a record-setting runner and an Olympian. According to the Ryun campaign, the ad is aimed at telling voters more about the candidate's past. Kansas Republican voters who were unaware that Ryun was an athlete also might be surprised to learn which of the following?

A) Amelia Earhart was an aviator
B) Dwight Eisenhower was a general
C) William Allen White was a journalist
D) All of the above

Correct answer: D

Chalk it up to the Ryun campaign totally misreading the electorate, but that's not that kind of information they're looking for when they say the need more background on their former Member of Congress.

The ad's bad, of course, but what's even more surprising than the Ryun campaigns tin ear is the utter and complete silence with which the Jenkins campaign responded to it. For two weeks, Ryun's ads have been on air non-stop and unchallenged, and the very last thing a challenger who is already losing wants to do is let their opponent run the table. But that's exactly what it seems the Jenkins camapign is doing.

If not addressing Ryun head-on, what have the Jenkins people been doing? Yard signs, by the looks of neighborhoods in Topeka. We aren't talking Nancy Boyda 2006 coverage, but they've got yard signs 'round town. Yard signs are important, oh yes sir, but that don't match TV for effectiveness or reach, and they certainly don't provide the level of exposure Jenkins desperately needs. It's roundly recognized Lynn Jenkins' most significant problem is name recognition- people outside of Shawnee County just don't know who the heck she is. Rather than do the logical and throw herself up on TV, she's pushing signs into the ground.

What is all of this, distilled? While Ryun takes the first real steps to defines himself and the race, Jenkins seems to be sitting on her hands.

Analysis: Ryun's Ad Filled with Deep Metaphor Missed by Most

For those who missed it, Washburn University Political Science professor Dr. Bob Beatty was on Topeka NBC affiliate KSNT yesterday with his take on Jim Ryun's first ad the of the primary season, which is called by the Ryun campaign, "Duckling."

We don't disagree with Beatty's interperation of the ad, metaphors and all, but we're also quite certain the casual TV viewing audience isn't nearly as engage or paying nearly as much attention as neccessary to even begin to fathom that level of obliqueness.

We've all heard just one thing about this ad, "We all said we didn't know enough about Jim Ryun to vote for him again, and the first thing you tell us in your ads is the ONLY THING WE ALL ALREADY KNOW!"

Ryun's Media Buy Expands into New Markets

We still aren't sure if Frm. Congressman Jim Ryun is keeping his same "introduction" ad up or if this buy is going to be something new, but he has expanded his TV ad buy into the Joplin, MO market (which covers the southern portion of the district including Pittsburg), and also onto the Topeka ABC affiliate. That puts him up on the big three in Topeka (still not on FOX). Nothin' in the St. Joseph market still.

Buy for this week totals $28,300.

Still nothing from Jenkins- if you do see an ad for Jenkins, or any kind of independent expenditure, e-mail us at boydabloc@gmail.com