Americans are seeing more pro-former President Trump ads than those supporting the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, according to a study from the Wesleyan Media Project.
The study, which came out on Wednesday, found that since July 12, 44,000 ad airings have supported Trump. Half of those came from MAGA Inc., which released around 22,800 spots. Preserve America PAC, another Trump-aligned outside group, sponsored around 6,100 airings.
Since mid-July, the Trump campaign has increased its on-air presence, sponsoring almost 15,000 ads that cost over $10 million.
On the Democratic side, around 32,700 airings have boosted Biden and Harris. The vice president’s campaign, which was forged following Biden’s decision not to run for reelection in late July, aired 12,000 ads. The same amount came from Future Forward PAC, a Democrat-aligned outside group.
Still, the Democratic side has spent more, shelling out $63 million compared to $49 million spent on advertisements supporting Trump, according to the study.
“The shakeup in the presidential contest has given both parties new incentives to advertise, as Vice President Harris is not as well-known as former President Trump or President Biden,” Travis Ridout, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, said in a statement.
Both sides highlighted different policy issues in their ads.
Harris’s campaign ads and those coming from Future Forward mention abortion, health care, affordable housing and prescription drugs. The study found that the majority of pro-Harris ads focus on public safety, connecting it to Harris’s background as a former prosecutor.
On the GOP side, the Trump campaign’s ads and those coming from MAGA Inc. heavily focus on immigration, public safety and opioids and prescription drugs, according to the study.
“Trump and his allies are airing ads attempting to tie Harris to the border security issues, illegal immigration, and crime while Harris and her allies are touting her record as a prosecutor, background as a daughter of an immigrant, and contrasting her work for for the middle class with that of Trump,” said Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project.
