Top Political Media Agencies Cashed In On PPP

An analysis of over 50 of the highest paid political media vendors and consultants shows more than a dozen of them, including two out of the top five, received anywhere between $4.35M and $11M in PPP loans this year.

The expertise of these companies range from media buying firms and direct mail producers to polling operations and digital consultants; but the common thread they share is the millions of dollars that has passed through them — from campaigns, PACs, and Super PACs alike.

By far the company with the largest success on this list (the no. 2 vendor this cycle, according to OpenSecrets) is Buying Time LLC, a media buying company who has handled over $222M in advertising placements this cycle. Buying Time was one of the beneficiaries of billionaire Tom Steyer’s run for the Presidency, as his campaign used the company to place over $186M in ads during his bid. Buying Time has also handled multi-million dollar media purchases for Democratic Senatorial candidates such as Amy McGrath and Joe Kennedy III during his failed primary run. The media firm, founded by former Clinton/Gore advertising head Catherine Herrick, who also owns another PrioritiesUSA’s go to media buyer, Targeted Platform Media, has seen over $400M pass through her doors over the last few years from campaigns alone. Buying Time (and TPM, for that matter) have also done…