The Tool of Last Resort
Something has clearly changed now that we are getting attack ads in numbers just about the same as regular ads.
The targets are the two front runners, Trump and DeSantis. Super PACs usually attack the front runner. We saw this in 2016 with Ted Cruz being the recipient of most of the attack ads.
The big difference this time is that the ads that are against Trump are not usually the traditional attack ads. The AFP ads, for instance, do not really attack him. They simply say that Trump won't win against Biden. The new Finish the Fight ads are a more traditional attack ad, but even they are somewhat mild as compared to past elections.
The ads that attack DeSantis, on the other had, are more of your traditional attack ads. They are designed with caricatures and tell you all the things that they think DeSantis will do that you will hate. These are the types of ads by which Ted Cruz was targeted in the 2016 election. Ted Cruz won Iowa in the end.
Attack ads can be a desperation tool of last resort in many cases. So, contrary to the polls, the mailings we are getting tell a story of Ron DeSantis doing very well in this race.
Then there are the other candidates' mailings. We received our first Burgum mailing in two weeks and our first Scott mailing in five weeks. Neither of the mailings say anything new.
Snail Mail Totals So Far in 2024
18 - Never Back Down, Inc. (Pro-DeSantis)
14 - Stand For America Fund, Inc. (Pro-Haley)
10 - Best of America PAC (Pro-Burgum)
9 - AFP Action (Anti-Trump)
7 - Opportunity Matters Fund, Inc. (Pro-Scott)
6 - Make America Great Again, Inc. (Anti-DeSantis / Pro-Trump)
5 - Perry Johnson for President Inc.
4 - Make America Great Again Action, Inc. (Pro-Trump)
2 - Finish the Fight (Anti-Trump)
1 - Doug Burgum for America
1 - Vivek 2024
1 - American Exceptionalism PAC (Pro-Ramaswamy)
The targets are the two front runners, Trump and DeSantis. Super PACs usually attack the front runner. We saw this in 2016 with Ted Cruz being the recipient of most of the attack ads.
The big difference this time is that the ads that are against Trump are not usually the traditional attack ads. The AFP ads, for instance, do not really attack him. They simply say that Trump won't win against Biden. The new Finish the Fight ads are a more traditional attack ad, but even they are somewhat mild as compared to past elections.
The ads that attack DeSantis, on the other had, are more of your traditional attack ads. They are designed with caricatures and tell you all the things that they think DeSantis will do that you will hate. These are the types of ads by which Ted Cruz was targeted in the 2016 election. Ted Cruz won Iowa in the end.
Attack ads can be a desperation tool of last resort in many cases. So, contrary to the polls, the mailings we are getting tell a story of Ron DeSantis doing very well in this race.
Then there are the other candidates' mailings. We received our first Burgum mailing in two weeks and our first Scott mailing in five weeks. Neither of the mailings say anything new.
Snail Mail Totals So Far in 2024
18 - Never Back Down, Inc. (Pro-DeSantis)
14 - Stand For America Fund, Inc. (Pro-Haley)
10 - Best of America PAC (Pro-Burgum)
9 - AFP Action (Anti-Trump)
7 - Opportunity Matters Fund, Inc. (Pro-Scott)
6 - Make America Great Again, Inc. (Anti-DeSantis / Pro-Trump)
5 - Perry Johnson for President Inc.
4 - Make America Great Again Action, Inc. (Pro-Trump)
2 - Finish the Fight (Anti-Trump)
1 - Doug Burgum for America
1 - Vivek 2024
1 - American Exceptionalism PAC (Pro-Ramaswamy)