Democrats Make $28 Million TV Buy

By JEFF ZELENY
NYT

The Democrats’ strategy to preserve their House majority became clearer Thursday as the party made a $28 million investment in television advertising for the final weeks of the fall campaign, a plan that is designed to build a firewall to protect freshmen and longtime incumbents.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reserved television time in 40 districts across the country, including those of Representatives John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, chairman of the Budget Committee, and Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The committee also reserved time to help Representative Chet Edwards of Texas, who is seeking his 11th term in November and is among the party’s most vulnerable members.

The advertising decisions, which were confirmed by party strategists and local television stations, help define more precisely the battlefield on which the two parties will vie for control of Congress over the next four months as Republicans work to reclaim the majority. Democrats are playing defense in districts in every corner of the country, hoping to use their fund-raising advantages to preserve control. The $28 million in advertising commitments represents the bulk of the $34 million in cash that the Democratic campaign committee has on hand.

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