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| © Provided by Washington Examiner |
By Emily Larsen, Washington Examiner
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down normal life, but there is still an election in November. To stay relevant, politicians and interest groups are framing political ads around the major topic on the public’s mind.
Last week, political ads referencing the coronavirus pandemic accounted for $4 million in television advertising spending, according to ad tracking firm Advertising Analytics.
The global respiratory pandemic and its effects came up in more than half of the political ads on the air last week and accounted for more than four times the political spending than a month ago. The week of March 21, coronavirus ads accounted for just under $1 million in political TV ad spending.
While the coronavirus pandemic has kept candidates from holding events and knocking on voters’ doors, it hasn’t changed political observers’ expectations that certain races will be incredibly close in November. That means candidates still need to give voters a positive impression, particularly since some could be judged based on how they handled a time of crisis.
Vulnerable Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine narrated her coronavirus-related ads.
“When the coronavirus hit, Maine employers stepped up,” Collins said, noting that L.L. Bean and New Balance converted factories to make protective face masks. Another Collins ad noted that Collins worked with a “bipartisan group to help small businesses survive this crisis and their employees get their paychecks.”
Meanwhile, her Democratic challenger, Sara Gideon, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, is trying to keep her name in the minds of voters by showing part of one of her town hall virtual events on Zoom.
“Though I won't be able to be meeting you in person during this time, I want you to know that I'll still be standing up for every Mainer whose health and finances are threatened by this crisis,” she said in another ad.
Some candidates appear to have tacked on a coronavirus-related message to the end of an otherwise normal political ad.
“We will defeat this virus the way I was taught to overcome adversity: Through mentors, community, and family looking out for each other,” Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison of South Carolina, a challenger to Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, said in one of his ads.
“With coronavirus putting lives and livelihood at risk, Kansas could use a pro-life doctor in the Senate,” a narrator said in an ad for Kansas Rep. Roger Marshall, a Republican seeking the state’s open Senate seat.
Candidate groups are not the only political entities pushing messaging during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which has lobbied against bills aimed to lower drug prices, had the most-aired ad last week. It touted the industry taking charge in “clinical trials and ramping up production capabilities.”
American Federation of Teachers, the largest union in the country, which the National Federation of Nurses affiliates with, also got in on the coronavirus political action. One ad started with a clip of President Trump saying that he heard about medical protective gear disappearing in hospitals and then showed nurses in self-recorded videos responding.
“President Trump suggested that nurses like me are possibly stealing masks,” one nurse said. “It’s scary, but we are doing our job,” another nurse said, while another added: “It’s time for the president to do his.”
Large PACs supportive of Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden have also used coronavirus to heighten the 2020 presidential fight, with the pro-Trump America First Action hitting Biden for support for China and the liberal Priorities USA running ads hitting Trump for using the word “hoax” when talking about the coronavirus pandemic. (FactCheck.org found that Priorities USA “ twisted” Trump’s words.)
Another Republican senator facing a tough Democratic challenger, Steve Daines of Montana, ran ads that showed newscasters delivering news about his proposals to help families and businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, and supporting other proposals in the $2 trillion coronavirus aide bill.
The campaigns for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic challenger Amy McGrath got in a back-and-forth battle over coronavirus-related advertisements.
McConnell first flaunted crafting the $2 trillion coronavirus aid package. “One leader brought our divided country together in a unanimous bipartisan vote,” a narrator said.
“He's already taking a victory lap against the coronavirus in TV ads, even though medical experts say hundreds of thousands of Americans could die,” a narrator in a McGrath ad swiped.
“While McGrath attacks, Mitch is working across the aisle to get hundreds of millions in federal dollars for Kentucky's hospitals,” another McConnell ad said.
McGrath also created a highly-produced ad prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Like many of you, I've cooked up a home with Eric and our kids,” she said to the camera as her three small children played with her husband in the background. “Because of the coronavirus, we decided to focus our campaign on helping families and seniors throughout Kentucky.”
See more at Washington Examiner
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down normal life, but there is still an election in November. To stay relevant, politicians and interest groups are framing political ads around the major topic on the public’s mind.
Last week, political ads referencing the coronavirus pandemic accounted for $4 million in television advertising spending, according to ad tracking firm Advertising Analytics.
The global respiratory pandemic and its effects came up in more than half of the political ads on the air last week and accounted for more than four times the political spending than a month ago. The week of March 21, coronavirus ads accounted for just under $1 million in political TV ad spending.
While the coronavirus pandemic has kept candidates from holding events and knocking on voters’ doors, it hasn’t changed political observers’ expectations that certain races will be incredibly close in November. That means candidates still need to give voters a positive impression, particularly since some could be judged based on how they handled a time of crisis.
Vulnerable Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine narrated her coronavirus-related ads.
“When the coronavirus hit, Maine employers stepped up,” Collins said, noting that L.L. Bean and New Balance converted factories to make protective face masks. Another Collins ad noted that Collins worked with a “bipartisan group to help small businesses survive this crisis and their employees get their paychecks.”
Meanwhile, her Democratic challenger, Sara Gideon, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, is trying to keep her name in the minds of voters by showing part of one of her town hall virtual events on Zoom.
“Though I won't be able to be meeting you in person during this time, I want you to know that I'll still be standing up for every Mainer whose health and finances are threatened by this crisis,” she said in another ad.
Some candidates appear to have tacked on a coronavirus-related message to the end of an otherwise normal political ad.
“We will defeat this virus the way I was taught to overcome adversity: Through mentors, community, and family looking out for each other,” Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison of South Carolina, a challenger to Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, said in one of his ads.
“With coronavirus putting lives and livelihood at risk, Kansas could use a pro-life doctor in the Senate,” a narrator said in an ad for Kansas Rep. Roger Marshall, a Republican seeking the state’s open Senate seat.
Candidate groups are not the only political entities pushing messaging during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which has lobbied against bills aimed to lower drug prices, had the most-aired ad last week. It touted the industry taking charge in “clinical trials and ramping up production capabilities.”
American Federation of Teachers, the largest union in the country, which the National Federation of Nurses affiliates with, also got in on the coronavirus political action. One ad started with a clip of President Trump saying that he heard about medical protective gear disappearing in hospitals and then showed nurses in self-recorded videos responding.
“President Trump suggested that nurses like me are possibly stealing masks,” one nurse said. “It’s scary, but we are doing our job,” another nurse said, while another added: “It’s time for the president to do his.”
Large PACs supportive of Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden have also used coronavirus to heighten the 2020 presidential fight, with the pro-Trump America First Action hitting Biden for support for China and the liberal Priorities USA running ads hitting Trump for using the word “hoax” when talking about the coronavirus pandemic. (FactCheck.org found that Priorities USA “ twisted” Trump’s words.)
Another Republican senator facing a tough Democratic challenger, Steve Daines of Montana, ran ads that showed newscasters delivering news about his proposals to help families and businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, and supporting other proposals in the $2 trillion coronavirus aide bill.
The campaigns for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic challenger Amy McGrath got in a back-and-forth battle over coronavirus-related advertisements.
McConnell first flaunted crafting the $2 trillion coronavirus aid package. “One leader brought our divided country together in a unanimous bipartisan vote,” a narrator said.
“He's already taking a victory lap against the coronavirus in TV ads, even though medical experts say hundreds of thousands of Americans could die,” a narrator in a McGrath ad swiped.
“While McGrath attacks, Mitch is working across the aisle to get hundreds of millions in federal dollars for Kentucky's hospitals,” another McConnell ad said.
McGrath also created a highly-produced ad prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Like many of you, I've cooked up a home with Eric and our kids,” she said to the camera as her three small children played with her husband in the background. “Because of the coronavirus, we decided to focus our campaign on helping families and seniors throughout Kentucky.”
See more at Washington Examiner
