Kevin’s Journal: Midterm Ads Spark Controversies

Illustration by Serhii Mahula

Advertisements have been a staple of U.S. elections since 1791 when anti-federalists used the press and, more specifically, the National Gazette to fight against Alexander Hamilton and pro-federalists. In the 1950s, the type of TV advertisements we often see today started, and it has gone downhill ever since due to the growing partisanship in our country.

Political ads are what truly define campaigns. Think of the Willie Horton ad by George H.W. Bush against Michael Dukakis, which painted Dukakis as soft on crime, or the “Daisy” ad by Lyndon B. Johnson to paint Barry Goldwater as pro-nuclear war.

Last week’s midterms had no shortage of advertisements, and along with them there were a lot of controversies — some that were considered serious enough to end campaigns. Campaigns are made and lost by the way they use their platform to speak on issues that are important to their campaign.

In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy ran for governor against Amy Acton, and during the course of his campaign, Ramaswamy ran an advertisement that featured Acton’s estranged mother claiming Acton was a habitual liar.

What was not included in the ad was that Acton’s stepfather sexually abused her and went to jail, and her mother decided to stay with her stepfather even after all of this happened. Acton and her younger brother were removed from her mother’s care at the age of 12 due to child abuse and neglect stemming from her stepfather’s charges.

This information was revealed in 2019 by Acton when she gave an interview where she talked about the sexual abuse she faced at the hands of her stepfather. She also talked about having to live away from her mom in a tent for months on end. This was a focal point in her campaign.

Ramaswamy did not back down from these accusations and even doubled down on his advertisement, reiterating that she was a liar and that Ohio should not vote for liars.

“With U.S. campaigns projected to pour a record $11.6 billion into this year’s midterm elections — even more than the 2024 presidential cycle — the stakes are high. That’s why political advertisers are finally starting to zero in on who votes after seeing an ad,” stated The Current. “Both sides of the aisle are creating more sophisticated identity frameworks to power better targeting.”

Even with this massive investment in midterm advertisements, President Trump still used our tax dollars to fund advertisements during this midterm. There was around $22 million of our tax dollars spent and $10 million of our tax dollars spent after Oct. 10 on advertisements supporting Trump and his policies according to an NPR report.

Midterms have historically had advertisements that have been newsworthy, and a lot of times they are made to create news or be shocking and funny. This election cycle, midterm controversy has detrimentally affected Republicans during their campaigns and have even given people reasons to not vote for them.

“The economy, healthcare and the situation in Iran score highest in importance to voters, while income inequality and gas prices aren’t far behind,” stated Gallup News. “But partisan intensity differs, with Democrats far more concerned than Republicans about most issues.”

When campaigns don’t focus on issues that are important to voters they can lose the election. When they focus on these issues, they win the election. When advertisements are recognizable, people will remember them when they go to the voting booth and hence will swing the election.