Laura Ruderman has released her first TV ad today. She had $276,000 cash on hand at the end of June, and I'm told she has booked a substantial amount of airtime. And that's on top of the $75,000 known to have been booked by the Super PAC funded by Ruderman's mom. (It'll be interesting to see how an ad featuring Ruderman's mom's fight with cancer plays within the context of the Super PAC news. Hmm.) Meanwhile, self-funding establishment Dem favorite Suzan DelBene has already booked about $750,000 of airtime, with more likely to come.

Darcy Burner on the other hand, who recent polls showed holding a substantial lead in the Democratic field, tells me that she has no plans to buy TV ads during the primary season. Of course, with only $86,000 cash on hand at the end of quarter and no personal fortune or wealthy mother, Burner doesn't have the money to spend on TV, but she doesn't seem to have the inclination either. Really. Burner seems convinced that the nature of the district makes it a poor value proposition to reach out to primary voters via broadcast or all but the most targeted cable. For example, I myself saw a DelBene ad the other night while watching broadcast TV over-the-air from my South Seattle 9th CD home. Not a very targeted buy.

But whether Burner's TV-less media strategy is by necessity or design, it's about to be put to the test. With both Ruderman and DelBene dominating the airwaves, a Burner victory could signal a significant blow to the reputation of TV as an effective political advertising medium. I'm not saying TV doesn't move voters. A SurveyUSA poll is expected to drop any day now, and I'd be surprised if DelBene's spending spree has not substantially closed the gap on Burner. But if DelBene loses in November, the ability to spend lavishly on television won't have proven to be the overwhelming advantage political insiders seem to think it will be.