Democrats flood midterm ads with Trump attacks as he seeks ballot focus

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 05:32 · Archive

Democratic candidates have spent $163 million on adverts mentioning President Trump since September, far outpacing Republican ad spending on the president.

President Donald Trump says he wants voters to treat him as being on the ballot in the midterm elections. Democratic candidates and their allies have spent more than $163 million since September 1 on television advertising that mentions the president, according to an Associated Press analysis of media spending data. The adverts have aired nearly 180,000 times across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. By contrast, Republicans have run ads about Trump just 16,000 times at an estimated cost of $11 million in the same period.

Many of the Democratic adverts accuse Republican opponents of siding with Trump over voters, particularly on issues such as tariffs and the Iran war, which they blame for driving up costs. Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, running for reelection, has spent nearly $3 million on a Trump-focused ad attacking his rival, Representative Mike Collins, over his close relationship with the president. The ad states that Collins voted for Trump's policies on Iran and tariffs that increased gas and grocery prices, and voted with Trump to double health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians.

The Republican National Committee spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said Democratic messaging reflected weakness rather than strength. She claimed: 'Democrats are lighting money on fire talking about President Trump because they have no agenda other than investigation, obstruction and impeachment.'

How it is being reported

• Trump wants the midterms to be all about himself. Judging by the ads, Democrats are happy to obligePresident Donald Trump says he wants voters to pretend that he's on the ballot in this year’s midterm elections.Clickorlando · 16 Oct, 05:02
• Trump wants the midterms to be all about himself. Judging by the ads, Democrats are happy to obligePresident Donald Trump says he wants voters to pretend that he's on the ballot in this year’s midterm elections.News4Jax · 16 Oct, 05:02

In this story: Donald Trump · Jon Ossoff · Mike Collins · Georgia · Republican National Committee

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