Cable TV’s Fox News is proving itself as the “Trump TV” network providing hundreds of free hours for Republican officials leading up to the midterm election.
With just 15 days remaining before the midterm elections, television exposure has never been more valuable for candidates and party officials hoping to spur donations and votes.
For the Republican National Committee, top-rated Fox News Channel and sister network Fox Business Network have given massive exposure and a few million dollars in expected publicity to chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany at a time when the party is struggling to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
In the months of September and October, McDaniel has appeared across the networks 18 times, watched by an estimated audience of more than 18.4 million viewers.
McEnany, a former CNN pro-Trump contributor, has been even more prolific — she’s appeared 34 times before an estimated audience of 29.9 million people.
Combined, McDaniel and McEnany’s 52 appearances have an estimated publicity value of $2.62 million, according to media monitoring service Critical Mention.
Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has not appeared on the networks in September or October.
In contrast to McDaniel’s ubiquity on the Fox networks, Perez has appeared only four times on MSNBC in September and October, generating an audience of 4.7 million and an estimated publicity value of only $258,593.
The networks also have aired RNC ads during broadcasts, including a recent one called “The Left: An Unhinged Mob.” “I thought it was a great ad,” a panelist on the Oct. 12 edition of The Five said after it was shown.
Among other things, party representatives provide reliable and predictable commentary on politics. On Friday, before introducing McEnany, Fox Business host Stuart Varney argued that immigration has gone from a Republican Party weakness to a strength. “I know you’re going to agree with me, because you’re an RNC spokesperson,” he said.