Tired of the same old political ads every time you turn on your TV lately? You may be surprised by what experts say their actual intent is.
University of Minnesota Media Law and Ethics Assistant Professor Chris Terry says issue groups — not the candidates' campaigns — are actually trying to irritate you by the number of ads they show.
"A little bit over 274 hours of content which is 11 and a half days of political ads that have run on… Minnesota television stations since Labor Day," Terry said.
Terry says while the party faithful will vote, as usual, interest groups are bombarding who he calls "low information voters," who will believe the content of the ads even if it seems outrageous.
"Right now, issue groups are trying to suppress the vote rather than motivate [voters] to go one way or the other," Terry said, adding that they are trying to leave a "bad taste" in your mouth before you vote.
Terry says campaigns and interest groups combined will have spent more than $34 million on TV advertising come Election Day.
While the ad barrage may seem never-ending, campaigns and interest groups ran three times as many television ads two years ago during the 2020 presidential election, according to Terry. But there is a bright side, as most, if not all, of the ads currently on TV will stop by next Wednesday.
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