美国国家公共电台 NPR--With midterms weeks away, candidates and their backers are spending more ad dollars

With midterms weeks away, candidates and their backers are spending more ad dollars

Transcript¹

You can learn a lot about how candidates and their backers think they can win an election by looking at how they spend ad money. Two themes are emerging: crime and abortion².

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Campaign ad spending tells the story of which messages the parties want you to vote on this fall. Two big issues are abortion and crime. Here's NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith, who's been watching.

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE³: The ads running on TV in Ohio's first congressional district tell a story playing out in races all over the country. This race is a toss-up, and the messaging is 2022 textbook. Take this ad from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Steve Chabot is obsessed⁴ with banning abortion. He's voted for extreme bans over and over for decades.

KEITH: Chabot, the Republican incumbent⁵ - like Republicans up and down the ballot⁶ - has been getting hit on the issue of abortion ever since the Supreme⁷ Court's Dobbs decision put the issue front and center. Vriti Jain does strategic messaging at the DCCC. She says abortion is proving to be an extremely galvanizing issue.

VRITI JAIN: And it's really powerful. It hits people really personally. And that's part of why you're seeing it show up on the airwaves across the country.

KEITH: According to AdImpact, Democrats⁸ nationwide spent more than $60 million on TV ads about abortion in September. That represents about 30% of all Democratic TV ad spending.

DAN CONSTON: It's the only message that they have.

KEITH: Dan Conston is president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, the House Republican super PAC backed by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He says the Dobbs ruling has complicated what should have been a Republican wave election. But Conston says Republicans really aren't responding directly to these abortion-related ads.

CONSTON: We are squarely focused on issues that we think the electorate⁹ cares most about, which is economic concerns, of which there are an endless number today, and concerns about public safety.

(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: 2020, murder in Cincinnati at an all-time high.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Homicides are up 91%.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: And Greg Landsman's response - defund the police.

KEITH: That ad from Conston's group going after Democratic challenger Greg Landsman, a Cincinnati city councilman, is part of a trend in Republican messaging as the midterms get closer. According to AdImpact, Republicans spent more than $33 million on crime-related messaging in September, tripling the number of GOP ads on that issue airing from the month before. But unlike Republicans on abortion, Democratic candidates, including Landsman, are mounting a defense¹⁰, with law enforcement officers as validators.

(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: This ad from Congressman¹¹ Chabot's friends is just wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Landsman increased police funding by $20 million.

GUY CECIL: When you want to know how candidates think they can win, you look at where they're spending their money.

KEITH: That's Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities USA, a Democratic outside group that, in addition to spending millions on voter mobilization, is also tracking online ad spending by both parties. He says the amping up of crime-related ads is particularly pronounced in key Senate races in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where Republicans have just been hammering the Democratic candidates.

CECIL: In Wisconsin, 70% of all digital advertising¹² right now is focused on crime in the Senate race. Less than 15% of the advertising is actually focused on the economy.

KEITH: Longtime Republican operative Sarah Longwell has been spending time with swing voters this cycle for her podcast, "The Focus Group." She always starts by asking what voters are worried about.

SARAH LONGWELL: The economy comes up first every single time. Crime comes up often.

KEITH: Abortion, not so much. But Longwell says it matters a lot when voters start talking about candidates and who they won't vote for.

LONGWELL: Abortion tends to be the top reason why. And they're all very aware of the candidate's position on abortion, especially if they're really extreme.

KEITH: All of which is to say, get used to seeing more ads online and on TV about crime and abortion.

Tamara Keith, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

5 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

12 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。