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Campaign ad wave comes early to Minnesota

Bumper crop of early political ads points to state's swing state status

MINNEAPOLIS -- If you had any doubts about Minnesota's status as a major swing state in the 2018 election, just turn on the TV.

There's a bumper crop of campaign ads, both by candidates and independent expenditure groups, and it arrived earlier than previous mid-term elections. Mid-September spending was on par to eclipse previous midterm elections.

"National political groups have discovered that Minnesota is a major swing state for the 2018 midterms, and it's going to continue right up to Election Day, so buckle up!" Steven Schier, a Carleton College professor emeritus and longtime political analyst, told KARE.

Many of those ads are negative, loaded with claims that mislead voters with exaggerations and facts presented out of context. But don't expect the tone to change anytime soon.

"They've discovered that negative messages seem to stick more than positive ones, because people are predisposed to believe bad things about politicians and government figures," Schier remarked.

Minnesota Battleground

All four constitutional offices are on the ballot -- Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Auditor. The only incumbent in those races is Secretary of State Steve Simon.

Both of Minnesota's US Senate seats are in the balance, including a competitive special election for the remaining two years of former Senator Al Franken's original term.

And at least four of the state's congressional races are considered toss-ups. Republicans are trying to flip two open US House seats in the 1st and 8th Districts, now held by Democrats. And Democrats are gunning hard for Republican incumbents in the 2nd and 3rd Districts.

The Twin Cities media market overlaps portions of all eight congressional districts, including the four tightly contested ones. So the audience will see many ads about candidates who won't actually be on their ballots.

The ad wars are also playing out on social media, where the same ads and other variations appear on news feeds.

"If you've been on Facebook lately, you'll know there's really no escape from all of this. Just turning off the TV doesn't spare you," Schier quipped.

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