The Donald Trump campaign is making its first TV ad buy in Nevada since the caucus, as polls show the GOP candidate running neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton.
Labor Day used to the be the traditional kickoff for campaign season, marking the end of summer and beginning of the three-month sprint to Super Tuesday. While that adage hold less true today, voters can expect their airwaves to sound more like this:
That's the sound of a TV ad Trump started airing in Nevada over the weekend, part of a $10 million broadcasting budget several battleground states.
Still, Trump has a lot of ground to make up. Clinton's campaign has already spent more than eight times that much on general election ads, including in some traditionally red-leaning states.
Fred Lokken, a political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College, says Trump also faces a ground-game deficit.
"What we're seeing for the Democrats in Nevada is a significant uptick in registration," he says. "We have activated base in terms of the unions, and the Hispanic population, both of which heavily augment the Democratic turnout, especially in presidential years."
Besides Nevada, Trump is airing ads in eight other must-win states, including Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
