March 2018

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…