In Pennsylvania, Voters are Being Pummeled by Campaign Ads. Are they Working?

(LEHIGH COUNTY, Penn.) — Millions of Pennsylvania’s registered voters are being pummeled with campaigns ads across the swing state with no end in sight until the election on November 5. 

Driving along the Lehigh Valley with just six weeks to go before the election, cars bearing Harris and Walz bumper car stickers zip past houses proudly displaying Trump flags. Just an hour and a half outside of Philadelphia, MAGA hats are just as common as the Phillies baseball caps as the end of the baseball season nears.

As of Oct. 9, polls collected by  FiveThirtyEight showed that Vice President Harris is leading President Donald Trumpby less than one percent. 

The two presidential campaigns in Pennsylvania have reserved a total of $75.9 million in ads between Sept. 13 to election day according to AdImpact, with Harris and her allies booking 61% of the total spend. 

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette notes record spending of the ad campaigns across Pennsylvania. As of Oct. 5  the paper reports, Democratic candidates for state and national races have spent $496 compared to $448 million spent by Republican candidates this season, more than double what was spent in Pennsylvania on political advertising in 2020.  For comparison, the candidates are spending a combined $28.6 million in non-battleground states like Nevada over the same period. 

Pennsylvania, one of the key battleground states for the presidential race, is home to many of the so-called “swing voters.” 

Following the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, The Click spoke with some Lehigh County voters to get their take on the everywhere, all-the-time campaign ads. 

Nathan Peters, a 20-year-old  resident of Germansville who serves in the military, said the ads are a “waste of money” and that “there could be more important things to spend money on including legislation and more beneficial projects.” He finds them “divisive with both sides” and says he often skips them on TV. 

 Candidates are spending heavily to win Pennsylvania’s prized 19 electoral votes. Pennsylvania is the 6th largest state by population and as a result commands 17 of the 270 electoral votes needed for either candidate to win the election. 

According to the  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reporting from AdImpact is showing Harris playing “catch up” with her campaign as the Trump Campaign spent less than $50,000 before Biden dropped out. Trump was reported spending upwards of $1 million after Biden officially dropped out of the Race. 

The ads Trump is running on TV in Pennsylvania promise to “Save America” while Harris’s message is:“For President. For you.”

While pulling record-breaking ad spending and tight polling numbers so far, the goal is to sway voters come Nov. 5.

On Route 276, connecting to the Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania drivers are reminded that their vote counts with billboards. The billboards for both candidates are seen a few miles apart from each other. 

The expenses of ad campaigns are seen across Pennsylvania as both candidates try to swing voters. 

Edward Corrigan, a  Lehigh Valley public accountant, said the ad campaigns are all “full of untruths.” “Most of the ads are misleading and do not provide voters with any useful information to give voters that will allow them to make a good decision,” Corrigan said “This money should be given to the poor and those suffering.” 

On Route 276, connecting to the Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania drivers are reminded that their vote counts with billboards. The billboards for both candidates are seen a few miles apart from each other.