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2010 ElectionsReleases

A Brief Word on ‘Magic’ Words

We took a quick look at magic word usage by interest groups in House and Senate races in 2008 and 2010 (1/1-10/5 in both cases).  The short story is that magic words are used far more often this year in House races (1 in every 3 IG ads, compared to 1 in 10 in 2008) and 1 in 10 Senate ads (up from 0% in 2008). Table 1. Interest Group Use of Magic Words % of IG Ads Using Magic Words US House 2008 10.4 2010* 35.6 US Senate 2008 0.1 2010* 10.2 *2010 numbers are based on on-going coding,…
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October 18, 2010
2010 ElectionsReleases

Negative Ads Prominent, Increasing in Number, but 2010 No More Negative than Previous Election Year

Tone of Ads on the Airwaves in Top Races Keeps Pace with 2008; Interest Groups Doing Heavy Lifting in Terms of Attacks (MIDDLETOWN, CT) Oct. 14, 2010 -- The battle for control of Congress and key gubernatorial positions are filling the airwaves with negativity.  Just under half of the ads aired so far this year were pure positive ads.  Still, claims that 2010 is the most negative election to date may be premature.  In an analysis of close to 900,000 airings from January 1 to October 5, 2010, the Wesleyan Media Project finds that the distribution of positive, negative and contrast…
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October 14, 2010
2010 ElectionsReleases

U.S. House and U.S. Senate advertising spending approaches $200M in last five weeks, $367M total since Jan 1

Influx of Spending Indicates House is the True Battleground; IGs Spending Over $65 Million in Federal & Gov Races (MIDDLETOWN, CT) Oct. 13, 2010 – An estimated $198M has been spent on advertising in U.S. Senate and U.S. House races in the five weeks between 9/1 and 10/7.  With September as the traditional start to the general election season, the 75 percent increase in spending (from $113M during the same period in 2008) includes an 84 percent spending increase in U.S. Senate races and a 65 percent increase in U.S. House ads. ***View entire release as pdf, by clicking here. ***To…
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October 13, 2010