NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — It’s been a loooooong presidential campaign.
The candidates for the two major parties have been fighting for your vote for more than 500 days each. Hillary Clinton (D) announced her candidacy April 12, 2015. That was 576 days ago.
Hillary Clinton (D) announced her candidacy April 12, 2015. That was 576 days ago. Donald Trump (R) told the world he was running for president June 16, 2015 — 512 days ago.
It seems like so long–and it is. But, it’s not too different from other elections. For example, in the 2000 election, both George W. Bush and Al Gore announced their candidacies in June 1999.
The candidates have had plenty of time to visit the 50 states. (Plus D.C.! Don’t forget about D.C.! The District of Columbia has three electoral votes.) According to candidates schedules and media reports, Hillary Clinton has visited 40 states (plus D.C.!). Donald Trump has visited 45 states (plus D.C.!).
Even with all that time, though, neither candidate made it out to Alaska or Hawaii. But, they did have time to visit Louisiana.
They have also had a lot of time to raise money. The Clinton campaign has raised $502 million dollars. The Trump campaign has raised $258 million. That’s a big difference, But, Trump has been running a different kind of campaign. He has only spent $93 million dollars on TV ads, compared to the Clinton campaign’s $253 million on TV ads.
One thing the two candidates have in common: they both spent most of their advertising money in Florida. Florida is one of the battleground states, with 29 electoral votes up for grabs.