Bloomberg’s immense spending gets him 30,000 online ads a minute, and a whole lot more

Let’s start with a scroll through Bloomberg’s spending on digital ads. As of Friday, he has spent $50 million this year on online platforms, which include sponsored posts in Google search results and Facebook and Instagram feeds, as well as video ads on YouTube.

President Trump’s entire ad spending this year — digital, broadcast and cable — amounts to nearly $20 million. That’s more than most Democratic candidates have spent in 2020. But Bloomberg’s spending is on another level. He has bought more advertising on Facebook alone than Trump has on digital and television.

Bloomberg regularly outspends all other Democrats across platforms. He bankrolled more than $5 million in Google ads just last week, almost ten times as much as any of his rivals.

Campaigns have different strategies for targeting their ads, so simply comparing amounts spent does not say everything. But Bloomberg’s spending cannot be ignored.

Even Tom Steyer, the other billionaire in the race, stops well short of Bloomberg’s spending totals.

You’ve just entered the second phase of the chart, representing how much Bloomberg has spent on television ads.

You may have seen Bloomberg’s ad during the Super Bowl. That 60-second spot cost him a cool $11 million.

Trump also aired a Super Bowl ad, in what could be a preview of an expensive air-wars general election should Bloomberg win the Democratic nomination.

You’re almost halfway there. But first, note this mile marker. This is what all other Democrats still running have spent this year — combined. Including Steyer!

The non-billionaire candidates have become more vocal about their criticism of Bloomberg, accusing him of buying his way into the primary race. They’ll have a chance to push that message in prime time this week, as Bloomberg has qualified for his first debate.

He has missed debates because the Democratic National Committee previously required candidates to prove their grass-roots support by earning a certain number of unique donors to qualify for the debates. Bloomberg isn’t fundraising; he’s spending his own money.

But the DNC changed that rule for Wednesday night’s debate, enabling Bloomberg to qualify based on his strong polling numbers alone.

Bloomberg purposely skipped the early states in favor of going big on Super Tuesday. Not everyone had that luxury, but he can afford to compete — and dominate the airwaves — everywhere.

And by everywhere, we mean everywhere. A recent Yahoo News-YouGov poll found that two-thirds of registered voters have seen a Bloomberg ad on TV.

It might be hard to fathom the millions …

… and millions …

… and millions of dollars of Bloomberg’s wealth he’s spending on TV ads here. Luckily, our Post colleagues created a tool to help you put it in the context of your own budget.

Bloomberg’s rise has prompted more scrutiny of his record as a business executive and mayor of New York, including lawsuits alleging discrimination against women and sexual harassment, and his previous comments blaming crime on minorities.

While Bloomberg has been a prolific political donor, he stepped up his giving after the Citizens United-related rulings that opened up the possibility for rich donors to support specific candidates and issues.

In the 2018 midterms, for instance, the super PAC floated by Bloomberg spent $65 million to get Democrats elected to the House.

Beyond spending on advertising, Bloomberg has indulged supporters in unique ways, such as offering free food and wine at campaign events.

Whether Democratic voters give the nomination to Bloomberg — the 12th richest person in the world — remains to be seen. But barring an incredible turn of events, he stands to dominate the spending race.