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Readers: Tell us how you really feel about political ads
Have you ever changed your vote based on a TV commercial? Has anyone?
Political advertisements: Effective campaign tool, or just something to get on your nerves during commercial breaks for the Patriots games? (As if the games weren’t annoying enough.)
Well, depends on whom you ask. While those TV ads that seem ever more omnipresent each October can certainly help with a candidate’s name recognition, as they seem less and less tethered to anything resembling objective truth, you can’t help but wonder if they serve any purpose other than to further confuse the voting public.
“There’s an idea that a really good ad, or one delivered in just the right context to a targeted audience, can influence voters, but we found that political ads have consistently small persuasive effects across a range of characteristics,” said Yale University political scientist Alexander Coppock, referring to a study Yale conducted in 2020. And by small, he means really small — 0.007 of a percentage point, in terms of actually affecting somebody’s vote.
Election 2022:
One current case in point: It seems unlikely that Republican secretary of state candidate Rayla Campbell’s ad warning that Massachusetts children are accessing “books with sex acts” — which prompted a rare disclaimer from WCVB — will convince voters that she’d be a better choice to maintain the state’s public records and administer its elections than current officeholder William Galvin. As Galvin told the Boston Globe, “She has every right to spend her campaign money on this issue. But it has nothing to do with this office.”
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So are candidates, for the most part, just throwing good money after bad? Or do campaign ads actually make a difference? We want to know what you think, and also what political ads have captured your attention — for better or for worse — this political cycle, and in those past.
A few possibilities for you to choose from:
“Infrastructure Issues,” Diehl Allen for MA: The Republican gubernatorial candidate declares that his opponent Maura Healey and “her friends on Beacon Hill aren’t interested” in solving the state’s infrastructure issues. That’s debatable, but what’s not is that Diehl seems to be a natural announcer — if this governor thing doesn’t work out he may want to consider voice-over work.
“Results,” Maura Healey for Governor: This ad from the Democratic frontrunner for governor features upbeat music, lots of smiling, and the insinuation that if you even hint that you may do harm to Maura Healey’s constituents, she will sue the hell out of you.
“Join Farmers Across MA,” No on Question 1: One of several ads to draw fire from the supporters of this ballot question who say the spots are grossly misleading, this ad asserts that the proposed “millionaires tax” will actually somehow “nearly double” the taxes of frumpy cranberry farmers across the state.
“The Real Hassan,” Senate Leadership Fund: Thanks to the vagaries of local television markets, thousands of voters in Massachusetts have been subjected to a litany of ads in the New Hampshire Senate race between incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan and Republican Don Bolduc. This one, from a conservative super PAC that has since pulled its ads in New Hampshire, tells of how Hassan has secretly plotted with Joe Biden (both looking particularly washed-out and grumpy) to raise taxes on low-income Americans.
“Care,” Maggie Hassan: If you were a cynical sort, you might question why Sen. Hassan would reference her son’s cerebral palsy in a political ad. That said, painting herself as someone who champions families whose children have disabilities feels like the high road compared to most of the frantic, accusatory ads clogging the airwaves.
And one from the archives:
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“Heads Up,” Christy Mihos for Governor (2006): Er, just watch it.
Take the Boston.com poll below, or email [email protected], and we may feature your responses in a future article.
Tell us what you really think of political ads
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