First Read: More (TV Ad) Money, More Problems

 

By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann

First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

Hey, big spenders -- it hasn't helped your poll numbers just yet

How much does money matter in the current presidential contest? So far, not that much -- at least in terms of those who have spent the most on TV ads. Indeed, with a few exceptions, our list of the biggest spenders in the TV ad wars looks like an INVERSE to the current polling, according to the latest ad-spending data by NBC partner SMG Delta:

• Team Bush: $5.4 million ($5 million from the Right to Rise Super PAC, $400K from the campaign)
• Team Kasich: $4.9 million (all in New Hampshire)
• Team Clinton: $4.1 million (all from the campaign)
• Team Rubio: $3.9 million (all from the outside group Conservative Solutions)
• Team Christie $2.9 million (all in New Hampshire)
• Team Jindal: $2.5 million (all in Iowa) 

By contrast, these are the campaigns/outside groups who aren't spending - or who barely have:

• Team Trump: $0
• Team Sanders: $0
• Team Fiorina: $3,315
• Team Carson: $400,000

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Source: NBC News