(MIDDLETOWN, CT) June 5, 2024 – The Wesleyan Media Project is releasing the first post in a series of regularly updated overviews of issue mentions in federal races by state. Below we show the percentage of ads mentioning seven key issues tracked by the WMP (abortion, energy/environment, guns, health care, immigration, inflation, public safety). The post covers ads from all sponsors (candidates, parties, and outside groups) aired on broadcast TV in U.S. House and U.S. Senate races from March 6, 2024 to May 31, 2024. Note that percentages across the columns may total more than 100 percent because ads often feature more than one issue.
As shown in Table 1, more than one in every three ads for U.S. Congress has mentioned immigration, which is driven primarily by the large focus by pro-Republican airings in particular. Pro-Democratic airings contain a reference to abortion in nearly one out of every four ads.
Clicking on states in the map will display the state-based percentages devoted to each issue.
The WMP plans to release regular issue spotlights through the 2024 campaign season.
Table 1: Issues by State in Federal Races, January 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024
| State | TV Ad Airings | Abortion | Energy/ Environment | Guns | Immigration | Inflation | Healthcare | Public Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total† | 568,147 | 13% | 9% | 8% | 38% | 10% | 11% | 20% |
| Pro-Dem | 251,207 | 23% | 10% | 7% | 12% | 11% | 20% | 12% |
| Pro-GOP | 316,940 | 6% | 7% | 9% | 59% | 10% | 4% | 26% |
| AL | 22,314 | 6% | 10% | 18% | 47% | 6% | 5% | 1% |
| AR | 1,205 | 0% | 13% | 0% | 74% | 43% | 0% | 0% |
| AZ | 7,852 | 21% | 20% | 0% | 37% | 26% | 0% | 11% |
| CA | 75,589 | 14% | 18% | 1% | 13% | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| CO | 1,126 | 0% | 0% | 3% | 35% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| FL | 2,038 | 1% | 0% | 0% | 28% | 25% | 25% | 0% |
| GA | 812 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| IA | 6,350 | 7% | 11% | 0% | 70% | 4% | 12% | 56% |
| ID | 2,362 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 35% |
| IL | 5,363 | 9% | 0% | 22% | 73% | 0% | 10% | 41% |
| IN | 33,646 | 11% | 4% | 11% | 62% | 11% | 1% | 31% |
| KY | 85 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| MD | 42,052 | 44% | 6% | 6% | 12% | 4% | 23% | 15% |
| ME | 255 | 0% | 100% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| MI | 7,652 | 0% | 40% | 0% | 24% | 25% | 26% | 8% |
| MO | 138 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 96% |
| MS | 9,886 | 45% | 0% | 21% | 32% | 21% | 0% | 6% |
| MT | 81,202 | 0% | 10% | 14% | 38% | 4% | 2% | 16% |
| NC | 27,926 | 4% | 0% | 3% | 71% | 3% | 1% | 26% |
| ND | 3,428 | 0% | 33% | 3% | 70% | 44% | 0% | 13% |
| NE | 4,478 | 1% | 2% | 0% | 68% | 19% | 11% | 47% |
| NJ | 85 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 48% | 48% | 0% |
| NM | 1,042 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | 49% | 0% |
| NV | 16,582 | 8% | 13% | 17% | 51% | 14% | 33% | 24% |
| NY | 14,697 | 33% | 1% | 10% | 42% | 3% | 17% | 40% |
| OH | 62,858 | 10% | 5% | 9% | 52% | 10% | 9% | 24% |
| OK | 11,101 | 0% | 2% | 0% | 57% | 41% | 0% | 16% |
| OR | 12,043 | 67% | 2% | 23% | 1% | 18% | 32% | 26% |
| PA | 16,198 | 13% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 26% | 17% | 11% |
| SC | 10,636 | 1% | 0% | 5% | 71% | 10% | 0% | 11% |
| SD | 803 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| TX | 16,870 | 33% | 5% | 4% | 39% | 5% | 41% | 15% |
| UT | 10,199 | 8% | 19% | 15% | 46% | 17% | 0% | 35% |
| VA | 18,898 | 15% | 2% | 19% | 46% | 9% | 8% | 12% |
| VT | 7 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 100% |
| WI | 25,505 | 0% | 4% | 0% | 24% | 9% | 24% | 32% |
| WV | 14,864 | 6% | 28% | 14% | 38% | 11% | 0% | 15% |
| † Total includes ads promoting candidates from other parties. Figures are from January 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024. Numbers include broadcast television. States with zero federal airings during this period: AK, CT, DE, HI, KS, LA, MA, MN, NH, RI, TN, WA, WY CITE SOURCE OF DATA AS: Vivvix CMAG with analysis by the Wesleyan Media Project. |
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About This Report
Data reported here from Vivvix/CMAG do not cover local cable buys, only broadcast television, national network and national cable buys.
The Wesleyan Media Project provides real-time tracking and analysis of all political television advertising in an effort to increase transparency in elections. Housed in Wesleyan’s Quantitative Analysis Center – part of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life – the Wesleyan Media Project is the successor to the Wisconsin Advertising Project, which disbanded in 2009. It is directed by Erika Franklin Fowler, professor of government at Wesleyan University, Michael M. Franz, professor of government at Bowdoin College and Travis N. Ridout, professor of political science at Washington State University. WMP personnel include Breeze Floyd (Program Manager), Pavel Oleinikov (Associate Director, QAC), Furkan Cakmak (Post-Doctoral Fellow), Natália de Paula Moreia (Post-Doctoral Fellow) and Meiqing Zhang (Post-Doctoral Fellow).
The Wesleyan Media Project’s real-time tracking in 2024 is supported by Wesleyan University and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Wesleyan Media Project is partnering again this year with OpenSecrets, to provide added information on outside group disclosure and candidate status.
Periodic releases of data will be posted on the project’s website and dispersed via LinkedIn, Bluesky @wesmediaproject.bsky.social and Twitter @wesmediaproject. To be added to our email update list, click here.
For more information contact: media@wesleyan.edu.
About Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn., is known for the excellence of its academic and co-curricular programs. With more than 2,900 undergraduates and 200 graduate students, Wesleyan is dedicated to providing a liberal arts education characterized by boldness, rigor and practical idealism. For more, visit www.wesleyan.edu.
