The battle on Philly TVs has begun as mayoral candidate Allan Domb airs his first commercials

The battle on Philadelphia airwaves ahead of the mayoral race is in full swing as former Councilmember Allan Domb this week began airing his first television ads of the campaign, becoming the second Democrat to jockey for viewers’ attention on TV.

The commercials portray Domb as strong on crime and underscore the role public safety will play ahead of the May mayoral primary election. The ads depict Domb — one of nine Democrats running for the office — touting his public-safety plan and vowing to get “violent offenders off the street.”

Domb’s campaign is spending roughly $600,000 on ads through this week and next, according to estimates compiled by media trackers. The spending comes the same week that Domb triggered the so-called millionaire’s amendment, a Philadelphia campaign finance rule that doubles how much money campaigns can raise from donors if any candidate gives their campaign $250,000 or more.

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Domb’s investment on television — in addition to nearly $150,000 he’s spent on radio advertising — brings total ad spending in the race thus far to roughly $1.7 million, according to AdImpact, a political advertising tracking firm. That’s a sizable chunk of money given the primary is more than four months away, but a drop in the bucket of what’s expected to be spent.

And it reflects the beginning of what could grow into a spending war between Domb, an independently wealthy real estate magnate, and Jeff Brown, a ShopRite proprietor with a war chest of his own.

Brown is the only other candidate to have a presence on television so far, and his campaign has spent nearly $400,000 on advertising, according to AdImpact. His commercials aim to introduce himself to residents and are largely biographical.

And the biggest player so far on television has been For a Better Philadelphia, an independent expenditure committee that’s supporting Brown and has spent more than $700,000 on advertising. The group’s ads depict former first lady Michelle Obama praising Brown, and they highlight his efforts to open grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods.

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It’s unclear who is financing the committee, and the group has declined to name its donors. Such dark money groups, which are also called super PACs, are prohibited from coordinating with campaigns. Ad spending by independent expenditure groups, which have no limits on contributions, is expected to dwarf what the candidates and their campaigns can spend themselves.

Several other candidates are expected to benefit from outside spending. State Rep. Amen Brown (D., Philadelphia) is being backed by a wealthy New York City real estate developer, and ex-Councilmember Cherelle Parker is expected to get a boost from a super PAC with ties to allies of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.