Democrats emphasized taxes and Republicans emphasized immigration in broadcast TV advertising for the presidential race during October, according to a CNN analysis of data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact, reflecting the closing messages from both sides in the election’s final stretch.
Democratic presidential advertisers spent about $288 million on broadcast TV in October and nearly 60% of it went to ads mentioning taxes, as Vice President Kamala Harris and her allies touted her proposals to cut taxes for working families while criticizing former President Donald Trump’s calls for additional tax cuts for corporations and top earners. Other economic messaging and criticism of Trump’s character were also featured heavily in pro-Harris ads.
GOP presidential advertisers spent about $239 million on broadcast TV in October, and roughly 56% of it went to ads that referenced immigration, as the former president and his supporters hammered the Biden-Harris administration record on border security. In addition, nearly 40% of GOP broadcast TV ad spending in October went to spots referencing crime, often linked to immigration in Republican ads.
Meanwhile, Republicans also ramped up ads attacking Harris over transgender polices in October, spending more than $50 million on spots criticizing Harris for voicing support for taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for detained immigrants and federal prisoners.
AdImpact, the ad tracking firm, catalogs the issues that are referenced in broadcast TV campaign ads and tracks the amount of money behind those spots. Comparing changes month-to-month illustrates how each campaign is tailoring its message, and it shows the share of campaign resources spent highlighting various issues.
