Yesterday, we launched our first ads of the campaign. But the decision to do so, at this moment, was a difficult one.
The reality is that launching this early, at the end of May – just over 5 months until the election – is a bit of a leap of faith.
On the one hand, we want to go up as soon as possible with so many undecided voters out there and Republicans starting to put out TV ads to rally voters.
On the other hand, the last thing a campaign wants to do is go up on television and come down while our potential opponents and their super PACs are on the air. There’s all kinds of data that makes clear that hurts the effectiveness of the ads.
And, of course, because the vast majority of contributions will come only in the final weeks of the election – September and October – we don't have the money in the bank right now to stay up on the air between now and the time the first votes are cast.
So the bet we made, not without fiscal risk, was that supporters like you would understand the strategic choice we made, why it gives us the best chance to win, and contribute to help us fill the budget holes we have to fill in order to keep us on the air.
I hope you will. For our campaign. For control of the Senate. To win in Michigan this fall.
Can you make a $3 (or more) contribution to our campaign and Tim Kaine before our end-of-month deadline comes to a close? Our average online donation is around $30. Some give more. Others give less. All that matters is lots of people are donating to help us close this budget gap.
