Just as a caveat before we begin: The actual efficacy of campaign ads has long been debated, and we are not really trying to address that debate today. But because we want our readers to be on top of what’s going on in the campaigns, and because we are curious about what the various campaigns and outside groups are actually saying down the stretch of this year’s contests, we decided to take the plunge and watch a couple of weeks’ worth of campaign ads. So in the time it takes you to watch, say, the first modern Spider-Man movie, (almost exactly 2 hours long), you all could instead watch - get this - 240 separate 30-second political ads!
Virginia national issues dominate ad wars movie#
The next time you, dear reader, and your family decide to sit down for a movie night, just consider this:Ī typical movie might be about 2 hours long. Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are frequently cited in Republican attack ads, but other politicians make cameos in ads not directly related to their states/districts. Crime has become a huge focus for Republicans, with Democrats trying to inoculate themselves by featuring law enforcement officers in their ads. Abortion dominates Democratic messaging, while Republicans are much less likely to mention it.
The Youngkin campaign put more than $1 million behind the ad.- To get a flavor of the 2022 ad messages from both sides, we watched nearly 350 campaign ads that came out in the second half of September. Though McAuliffe’s quote did not originate in the current tussle over schools, it quickly resonated. Schools have quickly climbed to the forefront of national political scraps, with right-wing media seizing on a crusade against school mask mandates and critical race theory, and major conservative pundits pushing for Republicans to focus on school board races. Other national dividing lines, such as voting rights, police reform and public health, play central roles in the McAuliffe campaign’s effort to paint Youngkin with the patina of a Trump Republican more than 75 percent of McAuliffe’s ads include an attack on or contrast drawn with his opponent.įor the Youngkin campaign, one ad is dominating the rotation: a clip from a debate in September where McAuliffe stated, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” The comment followed an argument between the two candidates over a veto McAuliffe signed as governor in 2017 of legislation that had allowed parents to opt out of allowing their children to study material deemed sexually explicit. “Caught on video admitting his far-right agenda.”
“Glenn Youngkin has been caught,” a female narrative voice whispers as news reports of the video fill the screen. The McAuliffe campaign portrayed Youngkin as beholden to the conservative fringe of the Republican Party. The campaign has put the most money behind a 60-second ad that seizes on a hidden-camera video recorded by a liberal activist that showed Youngkin openly worrying about losing “independent votes” over the issue, but promising to go “on offense” to restrict access to abortion if Republicans also take the statehouse. More than 60 percent of the spending has been on ads that have at least some negative comparisons or attacks, according to AdImpact.įour of the five most expensive ads for the McAuliffe campaign have been negative, with a particular focus on abortion, an issue that rocketed to the forefront of national politics after Texas passed a new law that bans almost all abortions. Outside groups and super PACs have largely stayed on the sidelines. The two candidates have combined to spend more than $36 million on broadcast television ads at just over $18 million each, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.
In an expensive race with in-person campaigning still limited by the pandemic, the national issues being debated over the airwaves have set the tone.
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