Six of the most notable, egregious and ridiculous Kansas campaign ads for the midterm election

November 2, 2022 3:33 am

A hand holding a TV remote with an "I voted" sticker

With Election Day coming up, let’s take this opportunity to look at campaign ads that misled, uplifted and landed with a thud. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

We can nearly see the finish line, folks.

On Tuesday, voters will head to the polls in Kansas and across the nation to cast ballots in midterm elections. While we twiddle our thumbs (or cast advance ballots), let’s take a look at some of this season’s most notable, egregious or ridiculous campaign spots.

This roundup wouldn’t be possible without Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty, whose invaluable archive can be found at his Kansas Political Ads website. He reminded me that we’re not talking about some antique form. Political ads still matter, forcing campaigns to spend and engage with their opponents.

“The use of the 30 second ad has adapted to modern trends,” Beatty told me via email. “We don’t just see political ads on network TV, but also see them on cable, while watching a YouTube video, on Facebook, and even when online gaming.”

He noted that he plays an online puzzle called Word Whomp.

“For me to play for free, I have to watch one 30 second ad,” he said. “Lo and behold, a Kansas Values Institute anti-Schmidt ad came on!”

Here are six ads from this campaign season, some highlighted by Beatty and a few by your humble local opinion editor.

‘Police endorse Schmidt’

We start our survey with this ad pushing the preferred public safety narrative of Republican gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Derek Schmidt. It leans heavily on distortions of incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly’s record, while another from the same group features testimonials from actual law enforcement officers.

“The use of uniformed police endorsing candidates is exponentially higher than in previous campaigns,” Beatty told me via email.

I had asked him about trends he spotted in this year’s advertising. The professor also mentioned ads going “over the line” with profanity or imagery, as well as an abundance of ads from political action committees, or PACs. Just like this one!

As a member of one of the news organizations whose coverage is cited in the ad (check us out at 15 seconds in), I would like to suggest everyone read the news article we ran Dec. 29, 2020. Can you spot where the commission is attacking police? Instead, they were “urging lawmakers to consider changes to police officer training, a ban on no-knock warrants and increased data collection by law enforcement.”

Scandalous!

‘Death penalty’ error

National news outlets picked up this Kris Kobach spot because of the mistaken inclusion of golfer Tiger Woods’ arrest in a montage about crime. Beatty characterized it and another ad mishap from treasurer candidate Steven Johnson as “sloppy mistakes!” You can read Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter’s take on the situation here.

I want to focus on two other points. First, the first part of the video revives the racialized imagery around the murderous Carr brothers that was previously used by Gov. Sam Brownback in his 2014 reelection campaign against Democrat Paul Davis. The ad approach hasn’t even changed that much.

I will say the same about this ad as I did about Schmidt’s race-baiting campaign: We should expect better from candidates in Kansas.

Secondly, while the campaign said the use of Woods’ image was an ad agency mistake, spokeswoman Danedri Herbert also called the incident a “happy accident.” The reason? Because national news outlets picked up an outrageous story about a Kansas race. Let the implications there sink in for a moment.

‘Middle of the road’

Kelly’s campaign this season has been distinguished by discipline. She has a message — economic development and competent management — and sticks too it no matter the circumstances. That goes for her commercials, too.

“Laura Kelly’s ads stick out because they make up a narrative, as if she’s telling you a story from beginning to end,” Beatty wrote. “Her second ad she was on a road, and then she goes on to talk to voters” in a variety of locations in follow-up ads. He adds: “Rare for a campaign to have the discipline to keep to a campaign narrative without being distracted.”

That being said, Kelly’s words here deserve scrutiny.

“Amazing what you can do when you govern from the middle,” she says.

To which I would ask: What else would a Democratic governor in a state with a Republican legislative supermajority do? If Kelly wants to sign any bills into law, she has to work with Republicans. She doesn’t have any choice in the matter.

Donald Trump endorsement

Donald Trump’s endorsement of Schmidt looks like a celebrity video that you pay $150 for online to wish your uncle a happy birthday. I mean, it’s cool to hear from David Hasselhoff and all, but he mispronounces Uncle Boris’ last name and seems to nod off at the end.

In a similar fashion, this endorsement could literally be for any political figure in any state.

“He’s going to fight taxes as soon as he gets elected, to do you know what he wants to do,” Trump says of Schmidt, the words streaming out yet not amounting to much. “And he will be absolutely fantastic in doing it. He’s going to be a governor like few others. He’s tough. He’s smart, and he’s got a big heart.”

Immune to secondhand embarrassment, the Schmidt campaign actually shared this video via social media.

At least the former president didn’t couple this video with an endorsement of Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Victor Orban. He already did that back in January.

‘Hidin’ Biden’

Speaking of unpopular presidents, Joe Biden takes the floor for this banger from 3rd District congressional candidate Amanda Adkins.

“ ’Hidin’ Biden’ is another instant classic,” Beatty wrote. “So old school — a campaign jingle! I loved it, and all my students loved it.”

I had asked the professor about notable ads from this cycle. He also mentioned those from state treasurer candidate Steven Johnson, calling them “instant classics.” Both those spots and this one share a sense of humor, which can be difficult to find during hot and heavy campaign seasons.

My piece of advice for other campaigns looking to employ this technique? Make sure you find a singer who can pronounce the name of your target while carrying the tune. The first few mentions of “Biden” in the ad scarcely register.

Rogers’ kitchen table

Finally in our lineup of ads, I want to share this video from Democratic state treasurer candidate Lynn Rogers. His campaign created a series of these “Kitchen Table Talks,” featuring their man talking with everyday folks about the issues of the day: toxic politics, health care costs, LGBTQ issues and so on.

On the negative side, Rogers could use some studio styling. At least give us a couple of ferns!

On the positive, how often do you see this kind of engagement in ostensible campaign ads? Rogers appears genuinely interested and engaged in the conversations and his guests. Apparently he has the money to spend.

I had one last question for Beatty. We know that political ads show up on multiple platforms these days. But does old-fashioned television advertising still make a difference in politics?

“People still watch ‘network TV,’ ” Beatty wrote. “More specifically, people still watch the local news. In the last few years the number of local news shows has gone up. Topeka is a great example. Not just the morning news, but a 9 a.m. show, then 4:30, 5, 6, an hour at 9, then the 10 p.m. news. So while newspapers have suffered, local TV news is doing well.”

He pointed out that in the recent Kansas Speaks survey, the No. 1 source of news for respondents was local TV broadcasts.

So watch away, folks! We’re nearly there.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Clay Wirestone

Clay Wirestone serves as Kansas Reflector's opinion editor. His columns have been published in the Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle, along with newspapers and websites across the state and nation. He has written and edited for newsrooms in Kansas, New Hampshire, Florida and Pennsylvania. He has also fact checked politicians, researched for Larry the Cable Guy, and appeared in PolitiFact, Mental Floss, and cnn.com. Before joining the Reflector in summer 2021, Clay spent four years at the nonprofit Kansas Action for Children as communications director. Beyond the written word, he has drawn cartoons, hosted podcasts, designed graphics and moderated debates. Clay graduated from the University of Kansas and lives in Lawrence with his husband and son.