Control of the House and Senate is in play in this year's midterm elections, with many races too close to call. Stakes seem higher because, according to FiveThirtyEight, 60 percent of American voters will have an election denier on the ballot this fall. Campaign ads, in many cases, shape these races and may determine the outcomes: It's estimated that $9 billion will go into the production and distribution of the 2022 midterm ads.
Gaining a bird's-eye view of all this political advertising can be difficult. Only a small proportion of campaign ads are posted on YouTube, and the sheer number of races makes it prohibitive to follow each candidate's website and social media. The company Ad Impact, which records and quickly uploads all ads screened on television and streaming services, lent me access to their database, and I was also able to interview staff at advertising firms like Middle Seat, Authentic and Kantar. This article is meant to provide a way of thinking about the ads — about their generic traits and stylistic shifts, as well as a grounding in the clips that particularly stand out.
