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Outside groups, mostly dark money, account for 1 in every 3 ads in House and Senate races May 7, 2018 Report Highlights • 2014 vs. 2018 midterm ad airing comparisons (Table 1) • Ad volumes/spending in statewide races with primaries May 8, 15, and 22 (Table 2 and Table 3) • Gov races see the most advertising with over 350,000 airings to date (Table 4) • House special elections in MT-1, GA-6, PA-18, SC-5 top the list with most ad airings (Table 5) • Conservative-leaning outside groups are very active (Table 6) • Dark money accounts for 3 in 5…

Photo Gage Skidmore/Flickr Pelosi is the Most Targeted Congressional Leader in the Past Three Cycles (MIDDLETOWN, CT) April 9, 2018, with updates through June 4, 2018 - Along with many other aspects of campaign advertising, the Wesleyan Media Project has tracked mentions of prominent party leaders in political ads. More specifically, we have tracked references to Obama since 2010, mentions of congressional party leaders since 2012, and in 2016, we added references to both presidential nominees. Our coders also assess whether mentions of these political figures were favorable or unfavorable. By and large, between 2012 and 2016, congressional leaders were…

Groups Start Spending in Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin Senate Races March 15, 2018 Report Highlights • IL Gov race most expensive • Outside groups in Senate races -- IN, MO, WI top charts • PA-18 saw over 8,000 ad airings • 4 in 5 ads from House & Senate candidates have been positive • See our separate SPECIAL REPORT on guns in political ads (2010-2018) (MIDDLETOWN, CT) March 15, 2018 - Fewer than seven months remain before Americans will cast their ballots in federal and gubernatorial races, and spending on political ads is starting to ramp up. Up to now, the most…

12 percent of ads in 2018 election cycle contain a gun reference; Most are pro-gun rights, but will Parkland be a turning point? For our March 2018 election report, click here. (MIDDLETOWN, CT) March 15, 2018 - As a national conversation about gun policy in the United States reaches the White House, the Wesleyan Media Project provides a detailed look at references to guns in campaign advertising over time. As shown in Figure 1, the volume and percentage of gun references in advertising mentioning federal or gubernatorial candidates has been increasing since the 2012 election cycle. More specifically, references to…