What will the attack ads focus on?

[Tekken_Guy]

What subjects and themes should we expect for the attack ad cycle of next year?

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

I think we will see a redux of the types of ads seen in Virginia and New Jersey this year with Democrats focusing on healthcare and infrastructure and tying GOP candidates to Trump as much as possible. Republicans will focus on social and cultural issues such as immigration, transgenders, and terrorism while touting lower taxes.

[Pericles]

Take out Gillespie and insert the name of whatever Republican candidate is running in that particular race.

[Yank2133]

Corruption and Roy Moore.

[Thank you for being a friend...]

The Democrats should run a nationalized campaign focused completely on economics like they did in 1982 and mass produce good ads and run them in all swing districts.  Like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgk72eN0yfU

[UWS]

Corruption and Roy Moore.

Even if Moore loses?

[Virginiá]

No matter what, Trump is going to be a feature of ads from Democrats because, well, he should be. Midterms pretty much always center around a backlash to the party that controls the White House, and even more so when they control the entire federal government. However depending on what happens by election time next year, it could vary a bit:

1. A recession sometime before November 2018 will cause attack ads to skew decidedly towards economics and how Republicans are failing to help ordinary Americans, instead opting to help big corporations and the wealthy

2. If Mueller's investigation kicks up a ton of drama, including indictments of close Trump associates and/or family members, corruption and ethics will become a big theme. Expect Democrats to get creative in how they tie people to Trump and his corrupt ways.

3. I expect healthcare and tax reform to be the signature policy attacks from Democrats. As seen in Virginia, healthcare has become a motivating issue, especially if the individual mandate is repealed, causing premiums to go higher. Removal of the SALT deduction will probably dominate policy discussion in GOP-held suburban districts, where Republicans will be accused of raising taxes in order to shift more money to the hyper-wealthy.

4. If Roy Moore is elected, Democrats could attempt to make a case that many Republicans have lost their morals. I imagine this would be better done in some places more than others. Also Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan also appear to be about as unpopular as Pelosi, so they could become a factor.



Republican attack ads will probably take on a Gillespie-esque tone to varying degrees. I wouldn't expect much too much variance with their ads. It'll probably be typical of past elections, given that they will go into 2018 knowing that those attacks worked before.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I think the Democrats are missing a trick if they don't focus on Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell as much (if not more) than Trump. The ideal trap would be to tie all three together to try and cause them to lash out at each other in desperation.

I think it's a risky game playing the Moore card. After all, that would lead to an avalanche of mudslinging on both sides; and if anybody is naive enough to think Democrats don't have skeletons in their closets they should quit politics. It's the old adage that applies to "anti-corruption" politicians - if you present yourself in opposition to dirty politics, you have to be cleaner than clean.

For example, one Democratic Senator up for election in 2018 in a competitive race (Sherrod Brown of Ohio) has a domestic abuse allegation in his past. It's similar to the allegation against Trump in that it was withdrawn and his ex-wife claims it was a mistake, but it is certainly something that would be brought up if need be. And then what are Dems to do? Disavow a key senator in a red-leaning state or look like gigantic hypocrites?