As Election Day draws near, both Republican and Democratic campaigns are adjusting their strategies to make a final appeal to voters. AdImpact, an ad tracking firm, has been monitoring the content and spending behind broadcast TV campaign ads to provide insights into the evolving messaging of each campaign.
Republicans:
Republican advertisers have ramped up their efforts in battleground states with a focus on attack ads targeting Democratic candidate Harris. Recent ads have criticized Harris for her support of taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for detained immigrants and federal prisoners, a stance she took during her 2020 presidential campaign. Notably, ads related to LGBTQ rights have dominated Republican TV advertising this month, comprising about 33% of their total spending. The economy, immigration, and crime have also been recurring themes in Republican ads, although the emphasis on these issues has shifted over time.
Democrats:
On the Democratic side, Harris and her supporters have also made strategic adjustments in their TV advertising. Tax policy has emerged as a key focus in recent weeks, with half of all Democratic ad spending dedicated to ads on taxation. These ads highlight Harris' tax policies benefiting working and middle-class families while critiquing Trump's tax cuts for corporations and high-income earners. Additionally, abortion, a significant issue in Democratic congressional races, has been a prominent theme in Harris' TV ads, although its prominence has slightly decreased in October.
As the campaigns enter the final stretch, it is evident that both parties are fine-tuning their messages to resonate with voters on critical issues. With millions of dollars being poured into TV advertising, the battle for voter attention and support continues to intensify as Election Day approaches.
