Americans who reside outside of the early presidential nominating states may be oblivious to the ongoing advertising battles of the 2024 campaign. Republican candidates have already been flooding the airwaves for months, focusing on themes that will likely dominate the party’s high-stakes first debate on Wednesday. This year, they face an unprecedented challenge as former President Donald J. Trump effectively plays the role of an incumbent. Consequently, the other candidates’ messages often fail to reach voters, and their substantial investments in introducing themselves to primary voters, establishing policy positions, and charting a path to the general election are overshadowed by Trump’s influence.
Ken Goldstein, a politics professor at the University of San Francisco, describes advertising as spitting out Ping-Pong balls. Due to Trump’s immense clout, other candidates find that their messages are often blown back in their face rather than reaching their intended audience. However, the challengers hope that the winds will shift or subside altogether. While Lynn Vavreck, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, acknowledges that campaign television advertisements have minimal and fleeting persuasive effects, she stresses the importance for underperforming candidates to be perceived as serious contenders and continue with their advertising efforts.
Let’s explore some emerging themes and strategies in the campaign advertising among the dozens of Republican candidates.
1. Dealing with Trump:
Many Republican candidates, especially those with lower polling numbers, avoid addressing the former president directly in their ads. However, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his supporters are the exception. They have launched a series of caustic ads that criticize Trump over various issues. Another super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis questions why Trump is attacking Republican governors instead of focusing on Democrats and President Biden. Some non-affiliated groups have also spent millions opposing Trump.
2. Big spenders:
The leading super PAC supporting DeSantis has spent $17 million on television ads, while a pro-Trump PAC has spent $21.4 million, according to an analysis by AdImpact. However, these figures pale in comparison to the $46.2 million spent in support of South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. A PAC supporting Nikki Haley has spent $8.4 million, similar to the amount spent on North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s campaign. Haley’s ads highlight her experience as ambassador to the United Nations, emphasizing her as the surprising star of the Trump administration. Businessman Perry Johnson, who self-funded his campaign, has spent $1.9 million on ads, portraying his affinity for statistics and quality standards. Even Mayor Francis X. Suarez of Miami’s super PAC, SOS America PAC, has focused on small-dollar donations and reaching the debate threshold.
3. Themes in advertising:
Border security, China, Ukraine, inflation, and cleaning up Washington are some of the prominent themes. DeSantis’s super PAC highlights his resistance to COVID-19 lockdowns and his opposition to woke culture. Haley’s ads emphasize her pro-life stance and criticize Biden’s response to Roe v. Wade. Former Vice President Mike Pence has centered his ads on his anti-abortion record. Cultural issues and the Reagan era also feature heavily in the advertisements.
4. Visual style:
Most ads have followed a standard format, relying on personal stories, shots of Biden, uplifting music, endorsements, and patriotic imagery. Vivek Ramaswamy has taken a different approach, speaking directly to the camera without dramatic voice-overs. Mr. Scott’s super PAC has adopted another strategy, featuring prospective voters speaking directly into the camera about their admiration for the senator.
5. Ronald Reagan cameos:
Former Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas includes a 40-year-old endorsement by former President Ronald Reagan. The ad consists mainly of Reagan endorsing Hutchinson during the 1986 Senate race. Ramaswamy also invokes Reagan, highlighting his ability to lead the nation out of past crises and promising to do the same for the current identity crisis.
Overall, while GOP candidates face the challenge of Trump’s dominance in advertising, they continue to invest in their campaigns with hopes that their messages will eventually break through.
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