Though Warren has raised more than Brown, Brown had more left in the bank as of Sept. 30.
Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, left, gestures as he answers a question during a debate against Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, right, sponsored by the Boston Herald at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Mass., Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. At center is moderator David Gregory.Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren is raising more money than Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, but she is also spending it at a faster rate.
Filings with the Federal Election Commission show that Warren had $7.28 million cash on hand as of Sept. 30 – after raising $36.3 million this election cycle.
Brown, who raised $25.4 million this election cycle, had more money left in the bank - $10.2 million.
A snapshot of that spending can be seen in the current fundraising report, which covers Aug. 18 through Sept. 30. During that time, Warren spent $13.4 million while Brown spent $8.86 million.
Advertising was driving that gap. According to FEC filings, the Warren campaign spent $10.9 million on television and radio ad buys made through Media Strategies and Research during that time period. Warren also spent $550,000 on Internet advertising, through a Washington, D.C.-based company called Bully Pulpit, which also works for Democratic President Barack Obama’s campaign. Brown paid Multimedia Services Corporation $7.8 million for media buys.
Another difference was in salaries. The Warren campaign paid just under $430,000 in salaries to more than 100 people. The Brown campaign listed just 22 people on its payroll and spent $107,000 on salaries. Neither the Brown campaign nor the Massachusetts Republican Party would say whether Brown was relying on staffers paid by other organizations, like the state party. But state party spokesman Tim Buckley said, "The state party runs a coordinated field operation for candidates up and down the ticket.”
Both campaigns spent money on mailings. Warren spent nearly $650,000 with one direct mail company, Rapid Returns. The Council for a Livable World, which endorsed Warren, has been sending out mailings and fundraising on her behalf. Warren paid more than $4,000 to the council’s candidate fund to cover those expenses. Brown’s biggest single direct mail expenditure was $94,000 to SCM Associates. Brown also spent $25,000 on polling, and both campaigns spent tens of thousands of dollars on consulting services.
Fundraisers and events are also expensive. Warren paid $9,600 to a North Carolina catering company, apparently for events during the Democratic National Convention and $8,500 to the Boston Center for the Arts for a reception. Brown spent mostly smaller sums on catering - $4,100 at Wimpy’s Seafood in Osterville and $4,900 at Max Downtown in Hartford, Conn.
Anthony Cignoli, a political strategist with clients from both parties, said Warren’s extensive spending in the most recent reporting period makes sense since undecided voters are making up their minds now. “It’s wiser to be spending this money now than it is two weeks from now. Undecided’s are making up their minds now. They are influence-able now,” Cignoli said.
Cignoli said Warren is spending on advertising in almost every possible market – including areas like Western Massachusetts, a traditionally Democratic region where Brown made inroads in some towns two years ago. “Elizabeth Warren and the Democrats need to win back some traditionally Democratic towns or make sure they can keep those towns in the traditional fold,” Cignoli said. “You can’t afford to lose Chicopee or do poorly in the hill towns.”
In terms of the higher staffing levels, Cignoli said Warren started from a disadvantage, since Brown was a popular incumbent senator. “I think it is a situation where Warren realized that she had name recognition to overcome, a popular sitting senator who has incumbency to overcome,” he said.
Despite all the expenditures in the race - one of the most expensive in the country - the race remains tight, less than three weeks before the election.