Attack ads take over campaign

East County’s race between Duncan Hunter and Ammar Campa-Najjar turns nasty with new ads

Glenn Mcdonell / Asst. News Editor / The USD Vista

With the midterm elections next Tuesday, Nov. 6, local San Diego politicians and special interest groups have been increasing their presence and visibility through advertisement campaigns, some of which have used aggressive tactics to portray their message.  

For some candidates, like East County Congressman Duncan Hunter, attacks on an opponent are done in the midst of ongoing scandal or controversy.  

In August, the Republican representative from Alpine made national headlines following a federal indictment accusing both him and his wife of using  $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, among other charges. 

In response, Hunter’s opponent released an attack ad highlighting 60 charges of fraud, embezzlement, and corruption. 

The ad personally criticizes the candidate through references to his wife and political career that insinuate his flaws. 

Sociology and political science double major Imma Honkanen believes that these allegations alone, if confirmed, should be disqualify Hunter from even being considered for reelection in California’s 50th congressional district.  

“If it turns out that he really did commit all of these campaign violations, I think there should be consequences,” Honkanen said.  “With all these accusations, I don’t think he should be running for reelection.”

On Sept. 26, Hunter’s campaign released an ad claiming that his opponent, first Latino-Arab congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar, is an “Islamic terrorism sympathizer” and a “national security risk.”  Since the ad was released, Campa-Najjar’s campaign has actually seen an increase in contributions, according to ABC 10 News.  

 

Honkanen has noticed more of these sorts of ads during this election season than in the past.  

“Since our politics are really divisive right now, I think a lot of candidates are reflecting that with the attack approach,” Honkanen said. “I actually see them pretty often now.” 

While the most common medium for these types of ads has historically been television, many students have come across them while using social media.  

Honkanen says the most common place she sees these sorts of ads is on Twitter and Instagram.

“I consider myself pretty active in politics, and a lot of the accounts I follow are political,” Honkanen said.  “Most of the time the ads I see for candidates are in the sponsored format, with the ‘paid for by’ line at the bottom.” 

Typically, these clips focus on a candidate’s opponent on a personal level, featuring details of their past or their background, designed to anger or displease the targeted voter.  

Senior political science major Kati Byrne sees this kind of ad as strategically smart but nevertheless distasteful.  

“I don’t like when I see an attack ad,”  Byrne said.  “As someone who has studied campaigns and elections, I understand their value and what they’re trying to accomplish, but I still have a problem with it.”

For Byrne, the use of negative tactics impacts her willingness to support a candidate’s run for office.  

“I don’t see a candidate who is constantly attacking their opponent as worthy of my vote,” Byrne said.  “I’d rather them show me why they’re better than their opponent and why I should consider supporting them, not why I should dislike their opponent.” 

As election day approaches, political campaigns will be intensifying their final push with increased ad placements on television,  social media, and a range of other public-facing platforms.  

The election’s final results on Nov. 6 will reveal if the candidates’ attack strategies throughout the campaign have paid off, or simply lead to more outrage among more critically-minded voters.