(AFP) – Stephanie Huser is fed up with the relentless negative attack ads she receives via text message. “I can’t go an hour without getting a political text,” the 35-year-old, who lives in rural Kansas, told AFP. As with many parts of the country, the campaigns for the November 3 midterm elections have turned into an advertising slugfest, with candidates trading increasingly bitter attacks that have left many voters interviewed by AFP exasperated.
“It’s been so toxic on both sides, constantly attacking each other that it’s confusing people,” Huser said. “This is getting ridiculous.” In Kansas, one of the country’s tightest races will pit incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall against Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton. Messages targeting the Republican, an obstetrician by profession, have proliferated on television, social media, and campaign leaflets, accusing him of “lying” to the public, “pretending he lives in Kansas,” and having some of his patients arrested over unpaid medical bills. Other ads have targeted the Democrat, alleging that he criticized beef consumption in a sermon, is too “woke,” or failed in the past to take allegations of child sexual abuse against a member of his church seriously.
– ‘I get so tired’ –
“I’m getting texts. I’m getting phone calls. I’m getting emails. I’m getting flyers against both of them,” Huser said. “That’s very frustrating as someone trying to figure out, like, what is your specific stance on this specific issue?” Joyce Bracken, 80, a waitress at a local restaurant, feels the same way. “I get so tired of these people talking bad about each other, bringing up all these things,” she told AFP. “I want to know what you’re going to do, not what the other guy should have done, or you know what he did wrong.”
While such personal attacks are nothing new, their role in US election campaigns keeps growing, according to Don Haider-Markel, a political science professor at the University of Kansas. “We’ve seen a lot more negative advertising even earlier. Oftentimes, you don’t see the real negative ads until these final two weeks, but it’s been pretty consistent throughout the fall of seeing negative ads, especially from Republicans,” he said.
– ‘Ready for it to be over’ –
A campaign ad by Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, recently sparked national controversy. In a widely circulated video, Ramaswamy showcases the mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, to accuse his rival of lying. But the two women have been estranged since Acton, then 12, accused her stepfather of sexually assaulting her over several years and blamed her mother for failing to intervene to protect her.
According to a Gallup poll conducted in late 2025, a large majority of Americans believe political rhetoric in the country has become excessive and vitriolic. The poll found that 69 percent thought Republicans went too far in their verbal attacks, while 60 percent said the same about Democrats. Both figures have risen since 2011.
“I’m ready for it to all be over,” said Diana Martin. The 82-year-old retiree said she cannot take any more political messages, especially as a resident of Kansas City, located on the border with Missouri. “Living in Kansas, just next to Missouri, we get everybody’s commercials for both states.”
– Charlotte CAUSIT
© 2024 AFP
