As campaigns prepare for the Wisconsin primary, which candidate is getting attacked the most?
Donald Trump was attacked with more than $1 million from opposing super political action committees from March 27 to April 2. It’s a sharp fall from the $10 million he weathered in one week in February. Still, Trump is the only candidate who’s been getting attacked by major super PACs in recent days.
The biggest source of anti-Trump spending over the last week is Our Principles PAC, a super PAC not affiliated with a particular candidate that exists solely to oppose Trump. New Day Independent Media Committee, affiliated with John Kasich, also spent $200,000 against Trump.
Interestingly, Priorities USA Action, a super PAC affiliated with Hillary Clinton, spent $33,000 against Trump this week. A small sum, but it shows that the Clinton camp is starting to pivot toward the general election. Records show that the super PAC spent nearly $29,000 against Trump earlier this campaign cycle, before primary season began. Even as Bernie Sanders continues to give Clinton trouble on the Democratic side, Clinton super PACs are apparently more likely to spend against Trump than Sanders.
Trump was the subject of only one negative campaign commercial released between March 27 and April 2. In the prior week, he was attacked by five. Kasich and Ted Cruz haven’t been subject to very many negative ads this campaign season, but both were attacked by two negative ads in the past week.
Rather than trying to bring down Trump, the Kasich super PAC New Day for America appears to be trying to bring down Cruz. It launched four commercials against Cruz in March, two in the final week.
On the Democratic side, Clinton and Sanders keep releasing new ads but refuse to attack each other.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
