George Allen's Pricey 'Skins Ad

By Shane Goldmacher  //  October 21, 2012 | 12:54 p.m.

Republican George Allen is throwing a $67,500 deep ball during Sunday's football showdown between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants.

The Virginia Senate candidate has booked a single ad to air in the Washington D.C. market during the much-hyped game for an eye-popping $67,500, according to a Democratic media-buying source.

For some perspective, that's more than the cost of Allen's entire flight of ads on the same Washington D.C. Fox station between October 8 and October 14, when he booked a gross of $50,070 for 25 separate spots that week, according to Federal Communications Commission records.

Allen's campaign did not return requests for comment about the ad buy.

Allen, a former governor and U.S. senator, is locked in a close contest with Democratic former Gov. Tim Kaine. Kaine has maintained a small lead in most recent polls, from a 1-point margin in a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist survey to 7 points in a CBS/New York Times/Quinnipiac poll.

Allen won't be the only candidate with political skin in the 'Skins game. Station records indicate that President Obama's campaign has also purchased a single $67,500 spot. But the spending for the president doesn't stand out as much, as Obama's ad budget is several magnitudes larger than that of Allen, who has consistently trailed behind Kaine in fundraising.

Allen is a big and unabashed Redskins fan. His dad was once the team's coach; his brother is now the general manager. Last week, he held a tailgate event outside the Redskins' stadium with his wife. During the game, Allen ruffled some fans' feathers when he made an unannounced appearance on the radio broadcast and promoted his Senate bid. "And are you in the fourth quarter of the election cycle right now? Where does it stand?" the announcer asked Allen, according to a transcript posted by the Washington Post. "Yeah, we're in the fourth quarter, there's about three possessions left," Allen responded. "We're working hard. And anybody who uses electricity, buys a car or loves the Redskins should be on our side." He'll be making that case in a single paid ad Sunday.

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