Republicans slash Trump mentions in ads to under 1% as midterms near

Democrats pour money into anti‑Trump ads

In House and Senate primaries, Democrats spent roughly $50 of every $100 on TV spots that mentioned Trump. They focused those anti‑Trump ads in states the president lost or won narrowly in 2024, including Maine, Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire. Voters report fatigue with attack ads, preferring brief messages about lower grocery costs and school safety.

Strategists say low Trump approval hurts GOP messaging

Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster and strategist, said, “When the president’s approval rating is in the 30s, that’s not generally something that’s helpful for a campaign that needs to get to 50% of the vote.”

Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist, warned, “Voters blame what they’ve done for the pain that they’re feeling, so Republicans don’t want to own that.”

Battleground Republican Senate candidates and their allies have largely steered clear of mentioning Trump in recent ads, according to a report.

GOP candidates distance themselves from Trump in specific ads

Republican candidates have been distancing themselves from Trump, scrubbing his name from websites, criticizing his policies and demanding removal of a Trump endorsement billboard.

Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska aired an ad on Oct. 7 that said he “voted to force Trump’s DOJ to release the Epstein files,” avoiding praise of the former president.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee in Michigan, ran an Oct. 10 ad that rejected Trump’s trade war with Canada, stating “Canada is not our enemy” and urging an end to the tariff war.

In Pennsylvania, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie won narrowly two years ago and is betting that Donald Trump will help him again.

Mackenzie later embraced President Trump at the GOP convention in Dallas, launching an attack on his Democratic opponent Bob Brooks.

Democrat Bob Brooks told Mackenzie to take down “false and defamatory” ads in the Lehigh Valley House race.

Brooks has drawn support from across the Democratic spectrum, including Governor Josh Shapiro and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Brooks, a firefighter and union leader, is running for a U.S. House seat in a key Pennsylvania swing district.

Trump urges voters to ‘pretend I’m on the ballot’ at rallies

At rallies across the country, Donald Trump told supporters to "pretend I’m on the ballot" as the midterms approach. He made the appeal while his approval rating sits at 33% among U.S. adults, with two‑thirds disapproving and more than half expressing strong disapproval.

Republican ads largely ignore President Biden

Republican broadcast and streaming ads mention President Joe Biden in only a tiny fraction of a percent of airings. Most spots feature inflation charts, border‑fence imagery and empty grocery‑store shelves, with Biden’s face rarely shown. Strategists say Biden is a "known quantity" who does not need introduction, explanation or attack, so they deliberately erase him from most ads. The GOP argues that attacking Biden would be "beating a dead horse" and a waste of precious media dollars that could instead discuss the future. When Biden does appear, it is usually a quick soft‑cut before the ad pivots to a broader critique of "Bidenomics". Historically, Republican campaigns have demonized the opposing leader, as Mitt Romney repeatedly invoked Barack Obama and Donald Trump hammered Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden’s mental acuity.

Trump’s name still shows up in primary ads, not general election

In Republican primaries, Trump’s name showed up in more than half of all broadcast and streaming ad airings.