Pilip, an Ethiopian-born former Israeli Defense Forces soldier, faces former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi in the race for the district, which includes parts of Long Island and Queens.
New York City has been struggling with a surge of more than 160,000 migrants over the past year, making the issue a flashpoint in the special election. The migrant crisis has taken center stage in television messaging, and CLF’s new ad buy will continue airing its initial spot, which accused Suozzi of “rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants” and uses audio of the former congressman bragging that he “kicked ICE out of Nassau County.”
The ad will air on broadcast in the pricy New York City media market, backed by a $2.2 million buy. The other $400,000 will go toward airing the ad on digital streaming services.
Democrats have sought to neutralize the attacks. In response to the earlier spot, Suozzi released
a TV ad warning voters that they had “been hearing a lot of nonsense blaming Suozzi for the migrant problem” and praising ICE.
National Republicans didn’t start spending in earnest to help Pilip until weeks into the special election, giving Democrats a noticeable early edge. Democrats have booked a collective $9.6 million through Feb. 13, including $4 million on TV and digital ads from House Majority PAC; $3.8 million from Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1.6 million from the Suozzi campaign.
Before the new buy, Pilip, the House GOP campaign arm and the Congressional Leadership Fund were at a collective $3.6 million, according to AdImpact, a media tracking firm. But CLF’s initial buy ended Wednesday. On the GOP side, the NRCC spent $929,000; Pilip dropped $253,000 on her own — as well as $734,000 in a coordinated spend with the NRCC.
CLF has been airing both 15- and 30-second spots in an attempt to reach more viewers at a lower price point.
The stakes are high for both parties.
Democrats are eager for redemption after losing a slew of seats in New York in 2022, while Republicans want to prove their victories there are enduring. The GOP is also hoping to pad Johnson’s already miniscule House minority in the first special election of his speakership.