First Read: Hillary Clinton to Air $2 Million in TV Ads in IA, NH

by CHUCK TODD, MARK MURRAY and CARRIE DANN
AUG 3 2015, 9:08 AM ET

Why Hillary Clinton is airing $2 million in TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire

Late last night, the Clinton campaign announced it would begin airing on Tuesday its first TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire -- one telling the story of Hillary's mother who was abandoned as a child; the other emphasizing her work fighting for families. These two bio spots will run for five weeks at approximately $1 million in each state. And there are three reasons why the Clinton camp is airing these TV ads. One, it's to refocus attention on her Roosevelt Island speech in June, when she first played up her mother's story. Two, it's to allow her to dominate the airwaves in Iowa and New Hampshire now (when there isn't as much competition) as opposed to later in the year (when all of the campaigns will be up with ads). And three, it gives her the opportunity to improve her overall favorable numbers, which have taken a hit in recent polls. Where does her current fav/unfav stand with all Americans? Tune in at 6:30 pm ET for the latest numbers from our national NBC/WSJ poll. It's not fair to say these new ads are a panic move by the Clinton campaign. But they are an audible to what's been an erosion in her numbers.

The Biden story isn't going away until he announces one way or the other

These new ads also come after 48 hours when discussion about Vice President Joe Biden -- will he run or won't he? -- has reached a fever pitch. The Clinton campaign is adamant that these ads aren't a response to the Biden news. But then again, the Biden story has additional legs due to Clinton's softer polling numbers. ...

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]