Lederman ready to join the faceoff on TV screens (created via Google image search and Lederman campaign images)

Four weeks before E-day yet another candidate for mayor of Springfield is going on television. City Council President Jesse Lederman has purchased ad time on WWLP, the more-watched of the region’s two major broadcast stations, with more buys expected. His WWLP run follows City Councilor Justin Hurst. Before him was Mayor Domenic Sarno whom the councilors and a state legislator are seeking to dethrone.

With Lederman now on television, that only leaves State Rep Orlando Ramos among the main mayoral candidates not on the airwaves. However, Ramos has the funds to change that. Meanwhile, Sarno, who is swimming campaign cash, has just bought another round of ads on WWLP and WGGB. Still, the mere fact of multiple candidates battling it out on TV—an echo of the persuasion battle on the trail—recalls how different 2023 is from other years.

“As we head into the final stretch  of the preliminary election, our campaign will continue to reach out to Springfield residents across mediums to share my record of delivering results for every neighborhood, and our vision for an accessible, responsive and professional local government,” Lederman said.

In a statement, he said the ads on TV and the Internet augmented his field campaign on the doors and over the phone.

Relative to his competitors, Lederman has had less cash on hand. But supporters and the campaign are quick to notice that his fundraising, however, has been consistent throughout the year. That has ensured the campaign had resources right along rather than squirreling everything away for the final sprint.

Indeed, in his statement, Lederman, referring to his field program, said the campaign “has engaged with thousands of Springfield residents who have made clear that they are ready for a fresh perspective in the Mayor’s office.”

Records WWLP files with the federal government show that Lederman’s ads will not begin running until two weeks before the election on September 12. As with Hurst and Sarno so far, Lederman’s ads will appear during the NBC affiliates local newscasts. However, Lederman has booked time later than his rivals, namely from August 28 right up until the preliminary.

In the preliminary, voters will cull the mayoral herd to two candidates who will compete in the November general.

At least one of Lederman’s ads is the same as one he has been running on Facebook. The 30-second spot features a number of residents praising the three-term councilor before the candidate himself asks for residents’ votes.

Until this week, Hurst and Sarno’s ads were only set to run through this Thursday. However, fresh filings from both candidates show they have re-upped their buys.

Sarno dropped another $28,000 on WWLP and $17,000 on WGGB (and its subchannels) before agent fees. Both essentially extend the buy through September 1. There does appear to be a greater concentration of spots in each slot. However, the shows on which the mayor’s ads will appear are local newscasts, the network morning programs and a couple odds and ends. The only new show for Sarno’s campaign in this order is Family Feud on WGGB.

Hurst’s new order essentially extends the prior one for another week to August 23. All ads are to appear during local newscasts. The extension is priced at $2,130 for WWLP and $1,450 for WGGB before agent fees.

While filings show Lederman has only purchased time on WWLP, the campaign has more and larger buys in the offing.

While the campaign only hit the air this month, it has been churning along on social media for far longer.  All of the campaigns have bought ads on Facebook and/or Instagram according the ad library for their parent company, Meta. As of this posting, only Sarno and Lederman had active ads on Facebook and Instagram.