As the Pennsylvania primary approaches, Sen. Barack Obama has tapped into an unmatched wealth of financial resources in an effort to deliver the electoral knockout punch, outspending Sen. Hillary Clinton by a margin of roughly 2.3-to-1 on ad buys alone.
According to figures provided by a campaign source, Obama has spent $11,246,573 in media purchases in Pennsylvania, almost 3 dollars ($2.78) for every registered Democrat in the state and roughly $1.87 million a week. Clinton has spent $4,852,541, a bit more than $800,000 a week.
Clinton's disadvantage is tempered a bit by the expenditures of the American Leadership Project, a 527 group funded by her supporters, which has poured more than $360,000 into Pennsylvania ad buys. But even when it comes to allied political groups, Obama has a deeper well of resources. The Service Employees International Union, which has endorsed the senator, has spent more than $540,000 on in-state media.
The totals reflect the difficult electoral reality confronting Clinton. Despite superior name recognition and a built in political infrastructure, her campaign has run into a brick wall of Obama resources in the most recent primary elections. It's likely to get worse. According to the most recent filings, Obama had $42 million on hand going into April while Clinton, considering campaign debts, was $1 million in the red.
And yet, how much expectations should be raised for Sen. Obama based on these figures alone is debatable. Despite outspending Clinton in Ohio, he was only able to make up a portion of his political deficit in that state.