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Have Political TV Ads Finally Lost Their Effectiveness?

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NBC News reported a stunning statistic today from the presidential race: Three establishment candidates — Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and John Kasich — have spent, in conjunction with their super PACs, nearly $50 million in television ads this year. In contrast, the outsider candidates — Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz — have spent less than $3 million.

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A Turning Point for American Politics?

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“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy.”

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Are the Polls Exaggerating Trump’s Lead?

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With Donald Trump leading the Republican presidential race for more than four months now, some are starting to question whether the polls actually have it right. We heard similar arguments in 2012 when some Mitt Romney supporters attempted to “unskew” polls that showed President Obama leading. We know how that turned out, but still it’s worth a look.

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Why the GOP Race May Hinge on Ted Cruz

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Four years ago at this time, after flirtations with several non-traditional presidential candidates, Republican voters began to consolidate around Mitt Romney, the establishment candidate and eventual nominee. This wasn’t that much of a surprise because in GOP politics the establishment candidate usually prevails by the time the convention comes around.

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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