Presidential campaigns pouring cash into Pittsburgh, and more money is coming

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — With 90 days until the 2020 Presidential Election, Pittsburgh has become a focus for both presidential campaigns.

According to NBC News, Pittsburgh is the No. 2 advertising market in the country in the race for the White House.

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“In a lot of ways, the election is going to come down to who ends up winning Pennsylvania,” said Mark Murray.

Murray, the senior political director for NBC News, spoke with Channel 11 about why Pa. has become a cornerstone for presidential campaigns.

“Since I have been covering politics, since 2000, Pennsylvania has been one of the most important states,” said Murray.

Voters in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania have been bombarded with ads; on television, radio and social media.

“Many of the ads you are seeing over your airwaves are about the economy, health care and coronavirus,” Murray said. “There is evidence, with all the ad spending that is going on, the campaigns want to win over voters there.”

And that means the political ads are here to stay.

“The campaign that does the best job of both is usually the most successful one,” Murray said.

Two other markets in Pennsylvania are among the top 10 in terms of advertising spending ahead of the election: Philadelphia and the combined area of Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York.

The full top 10 list is below:

1. National: $25.3 million
2. Phoenix: $13.7 million
3. Pittsburgh: $12.4 million
4. Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, Fla: $10.6 million
5. Detroit: $9.9 million
6. Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota, Fla.: $9.5 million
7. Philadelphia: $8.4 million
8. Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York, Penn.: $8.1 million
9. Green Bay/Appleton, Wisc.: $7.1 million
10. Milwaukee: $7.1 million

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