No More Interruptions By Mud-Slinging Ads
Now that Election Day has passed, a slew of winners and losers have emerged, with the deadline finally passing for voters to turn in their ballots.
But in my opinion, we are all winners because these dreadful campaign ads will no longer be interrupting our daily lives.
For the past month, the campaigns for state and national seats seemed to overtake every form of media. You couldn’t scroll through Facebook, watch television or listen to the radio without suddenly viewing a red or blue political opinion down your throats.
Watching the news has also been more unenjoyable than usual. Every news cast has been engulfed with election news with TV analysts citing the 2026 midterms as very important for the future of the state and country.
Every election year I know campaign ads have to exist. I just wish that they would have a different tune.
As a strong history buff, I sometimes think about the days in America before the Civil War when running for political office was much different. Prior to the days of broadcast, radio and social media, prospective politicians had to take a different approach to get their names out there.
Back in the day, it wasn’t customary to even give a speech or conduct your own rallies to run for office. Politicians were expected to gain support from a circle of friends or from their political party, with the ultimate goal of getting as many people on their side as they could. The supporters were the ones who went out to rally and knocked on doors to get votes, not the people running themselves.
Over the years, though, this political scenario has vastly changed. With growing population trends and a more mobile society, it would be impossible to get your name out on a national (or even state) level without launching some sort of massive campaign.
Since the advent of radio, television and social media, there are more tools to help someone gain recognition. My only problem with this reality is the way it has been used.
There was a time when you would watch or listen to a political ad, and they had more of a positive tune. Prospective politicians would plead their case and try to sell themselves to voters. They would talk about what they could accomplish if elected, and why voters should check the box next to their names.
But after the 2026 midterm election cycle, I have heard many complaints that the political atmosphere has changed for the worse. Instead of politicians focusing on what they have to offer, the theme of all advertisements has centered on the horrors of their opponents.
At one point, many saw mudslinging in campaign ads and thought it was disgraceful. But now it seems like politicians on both sides are throwing dirt at each other. Even the debates aren’t civil and most turn into trash talk about what the opposing party has done.
Heated Local Elections Conquer Air Waves
A good example of this locally has been the heated and close race for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District between Jessica Killin and incumbent Rep. Jeff Crank. (This race has hit home as this was the congressional district all of us resided in, prior to a bizarre redistricting scheme that now aligns us with folks from Broomfield. That is another story on a different day.)
On October 22, the Colorado Sun reported that Killin and Crank were basically tied according to the polls. Really all this meant was that more money and more ads would be thrown out on both sides.
Initially, the campaign ads between the two stayed relatively civil. But then rather brutal mudslinging ads came out on each side. And the ads were played so often that you couldn’t get away from hearing or seeing one if you tried.
But neither of the candidates talked about themselves or what they could do. The pro-Crank ads focused on Killin being an evil liberal who promoted the pornography industry. The Killin ads focused on how Crank has backed 100 percent the decisions made by President Donald Trump, including some that hurt our area.
The bottom line is: Enough is enough. Our society is filled with negativity anyways, why do prospective politicians have to make it worse?
My other issue is the amount of money that has been spent on these massive campaigns. Before it was all said and done, AdImpact.com forecasted that campaign spending would break a record this year with $11.6 billion being spent on the 2025-2026 election cycle. That would surpass the $11.2B spent during the 2023–2024 cycle.
I can’t help but think there are a lot of better things that money could be used for. Personally, I think money should be taken away from political campaigns and maybe we should go back to the old school way of getting your name out there to run for office.
Regardless of your political views, we can all rejoice that the negativity forced down our throats has ceased for now. We all should embrace the next year or so before the 2028 Election takes over our lives.
