Primaries Are Expensive ... But They Raise Name Recognition!

Rasmussen's snap poll shows Creigh Deeds ahead of Bob McDonnell. Now, Deeds had a contested primary, while McDonnell didn't, so that's certainly a factor. But people need to realize that while a contested primary forces candidates to spend money, the early election does generate name recognition and news interest. In fact, the amount of free media coverage in the primary is probably higher than the amount of paid media you would otherwise be able to buy with the extra campaign funds. There may not be enough elections to make a rigorous empirical claim, but it certainly seems that winners of contested primaries do well in November.