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The Battle For The Airwaves

2024/10/10
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FiveThirtyEight Politics

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This chapter discusses the current state of political advertising in the 2024 presidential election. It covers the strategies employed by both the Harris and Trump campaigns, the key issues being highlighted, and the potential impact of ad spending on voter perception.
  • Harris campaign has had an edge in TV ad spending over Trump in recent weeks, but Trump is catching up.
  • Both campaigns are focusing heavily on economic issues like inflation and taxes.
  • Harris is also addressing healthcare and abortion rights in her ads, while Trump is focusing on housing and Social Security.
  • Democrats are increasingly addressing immigration in their ads, often featuring local sheriffs to appeal to voters concerned about border security.
  • There's a debate about the effectiveness of negative ads, but they tend to be more memorable and contain more policy information than positive ads.
  • Harris campaign significantly outspent Trump campaign on digital advertising, possibly due to Trump's preference for TV and changes in social media policies.

Shownotes Transcript

For those in swing states, political ads are an inescapable part of life. But if you haven’t experienced the blitz firsthand, this episode of the 538 Politics podcast offers a glimpse into the barrage of campaign messages flooding our screens. Erika Franklin Fowler, director of the Wesleyan Media Project and professor of government at Wesleyan University, joins the podcast to break down the wave of ads hitting TVs, phones and browsers this election season. We explore whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris has the upper hand and the topics dominating both national and downballot races.

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