Negative ads work to define opponents
Negative advertising in Oregon isn’t new, but it started early because of a three-way race for governor and attracted $50 million in campaign contributions
Oregon campaigns in the 2022 midterm election have featured blistering negative ads, poll-tested positioning and a lot of fuzzy gray imagery. The campaigns mirror an uneasy electorate sharply divided over issues such as homelessness, crime, inflation, healthcare, guns and abortion rights, which Mark Hester discussed in his column Wednesday.
No one who watches television can escape negative ads. Voters say they disapprove of negative advertising, but voter outcomes demonstrate negative advertising works in a world of 30-second attention spans. As political strategists can attest, it is easier to demonize your opponent in 30 seconds than explain how to fix a vexing, complex problem.
The tell of negative ads is the gray fuzzy images of the candidate being skewered, a visual clue that is hard to miss.
Negative advertising started early in Oregon and has picked up steam as election day nears. Unaffiliated gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson aired a TV ad the day after the May primary, positioning herself in the middle ground between “political extremes”. She subsequently ran ads describing Oregon as a “total mess”.
It took a while for Republican Christine Drazan and Democrat Tina Kotek to replenish their campaign war chests after contested primaries. With cash in hand, they wasted little time launching their attack ads. The three candidates have combined to smash state spending records with contributions of more than $55 million.
In negative ads, Kotek has linked Drazan to right-wing extremists. Drazan has blamed Kotek (and Johnson) for the state heading in the wrong direction, referring to Kotek as Kate Brown 2.0. They have called each other liars.
The most recent polls indicate Kotek and Drazan are statistically tied with Johnson well behind. The polls also suggest that fewer than 10 percent of Oregon voters remain undecided as ballots begin arriving in mailboxes, which is an invitation for even more intense negative ads in the gubernatorial race.
Negative advertising also has flourished in hotly contested races for Oregon’s fourth, fifth and sixth congressional districts, as well as in several swing legislative districts in Portland and Salem. The ads can be attributed in part to Republican optimism that blue Oregon can be turned purple this year, which has led to more spending by national conservative groups. That in turn, sparked more spending by Democratic-leaning groups.
A fair amount of negative advertising has centered on police funding and access to abortions. Fifth District Republican Lori Chavez-DeReemer and Sixth District Republican Mike Erickson charged their respective Democratic opponents of favoring or voting for police defunding. Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner accused DeReemer of extreme views on abortion. Democrat Andrea Salinas called Erickson a hypocrite for opposing abortion but encouraging and paying for a former girlfriend’s abortion.
One of DeReemer’s ads portrays McLeod-Skinner as a San Francisco liberal pretending to be an Oregonian. McLeod-Skinner has poked DeReemer as a millionaire who accepted a large federal COVID-related payment. Erickson has assailed Salinas as a DC lobbyist. Salinas says Erickson was charged with driving while intoxicated in 2016.
Not all negative ads have met the fact test, as shown in an Oregonian article that examined a misleading ad by both Drazan and Kotek. KGW-TV’s The Story has analyzed several negative ad claims in various races and showed some only border on the truth.
Candidates have clung to poll-tested, hot-button issues. Republicans zero in on inflation, homelessness, drugs and crime. Democrats talk about abortion rights, infrastructure, jobs and healthcare. Incongruously, congressional candidates talk about fighting crime and ending homelessness, even though those are mainly local issues.
Political campaigns are typically light on specifics. Drazan’s roadmap to revitalize the state generally boils down to reversing Democratic policies and not raising taxes. Kotek has offered a few more specifics, including her homelessness strategy, that track with her legislative achievements. Johnson offers to upset the status quo by getting rid of most existing state agency managers.
Some political ads are relatable. A McLeod-Skinner ad shows her packing gear in an RV trailer. Salinas ads note her father was a police officer. Drazan talks about growing up in a timber community. Kotek traces her political roots to working for the Oregon Food Bank.
The most approachable ads are by Washington Democratic Third District congressional candidate Marie Perez. One ad shows her in the auto repair shop she and her husband run. Another shows Perez cutting down a tree as she talks about her rural roots – and her support for the Second Amendment.
The closest Perez has come to going negative is a mildly amusing ad that features four people who supported outgoing Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler explaining why they were voting for Perez. An older man expresses amazement that GOP candidate Joe Kent wants NIH Director Anthony Fauci tried for mass murder. A woman is incredulous that Kent’s favorite Republican in Congress is Marjorie Taylor Green. Mentioning “extremist” wasn’t necessary.
Gary Conkling has been involved in Oregon politics for more than 50 years as a reporter and editor, congressional staffer and public affairs professional.
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