See the political mailers I get as an independent swing state voter
Plus: A candidate edited his opponent’s logo out of a photo for a faked image in an ad
Hello, in this issue we’ll look at…
See the political mailers I get as an independent swing state voter
A candidate edited his opponent’s logo out of a photo for a faked image in an ad
Scroll to the end to see: the message fans will see fly over Sunday’s NFL game in Las Vegas 🏈
See the political mailers I get as an independent swing state voter
I don’t mean to brag, but I’m an independent swing state voter so political groups want my attention. I get sent a lot of political mailers, especially now that early voting has opened in Arizona. Here’s a look at what I’ve been receiving.
Republicans are working to boost their early voting numbers this year after former President Donald Trump spent the last campaign trashing it, and the Arizona Republican Party sent a mailer encouraging early voting and explaining how voting early is safe and secure. The other side of the mailer claims Vice President Kamala Harris “will take away your property. Your freedom of speech. Your guns.” The Arizona Democratic Party sent a mailer contrasting Harris and Trump on abortion rights that calls for defeating “Trump’s extreme agenda.”
For all the grief Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg rightly receives over the warped political influence of his apps, he’s never gone as far as X owner Elon Musk, who’s unabashedly putting his finger on the scales of his social network’s algorithm and funding a super PAC called America PAC that won’t stop leaving me door hangers. The group has so far left three of the exact same door hangers that call Harris “Cackling Kamala” and says “Arizona can bring back the American Dream with Trump.” Bro, I don’t care, leave me alone.
The state parties each sent mailers attacking the other party’s U.S. Senate candidates. In their mailer, state Republicans falsely accuse Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) of voting to let illegal immigrants vote, which he hasn’t done. Under federal law, only U.S. citizens are allowed to register and vote in federal elections.
Arizona Democrats collected comments former TV news anchor and Republican candidate Kari Lake made about abortion for a mailer that says she “will put women in danger.” The Arizona Democratic Party also sent a creative fold-out mailer that shows emergency room doors that open to reveal comments from Trump and his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) about abortion.
Since the time between a piece of political mail hitting a voter’s mailboxes and ending up in the trash is short, mailers are designed for impact, with bullet points and bold header text. With early voting now open, though, some of the latest mailers I’ve received focus on down-ballot issues and go long on copy. This is literature meant to be saved to help fill out a ballot, so it’s dense with information.
One piece of mail designed to look like a newspaper called the “Prop 140 Freedom Times” is eight pages long to sell voters on a proposition that would amend the state constitution to introduce open-primary elections. The “newspaper” includes bipartisan endorsements from community leaders, like Mesa Mayor John Giles and former Gilbert Mayor John Lewis, who says that by ending partisan primaries, the measure would reward “candidates who choose to work on issues that matter most.”
A packet with a voter guide for down-ballot candidates was sent by a local Republican group and it came in a bag with other literature for propositions and down-ballot races. A group called the Arizona Free Enterprise Club said in their literature the open-primary election Prop 140 would introduce “California-style election schemes.”
One postcard with a Bible verse sent to my household had a handwritten note from a woman named Shirley who wrote, “Your vote and voice will make a difference this election. God bless.” Aww, thank you, Shirley, you too.
What are some of the most interesting or unusual mailers you’ve gotten this year?
A candidate edited his opponent’s logo out of a photo for a faked image in an ad
In the race to be Indiana’s next governor, Republican candidate and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s campaign argues his Democratic opponent Jennifer McCormick is too liberal for the job. In a new ad, his campaign took some creative liberties to make their point.
“Hopelessly Liberal” criticizes McCormick for endorsing Democrats for president, opposing school choice, and calling for an Office of Environmental Justice. It also falsely suggests she spoke at a rally against gas stoves.
A doctored image of McCormick shows her speaking at a rally where people hold signs that say “no gas stoves.” In actuality, the real photo is from an event where McCormick spoke with supporters holding signs of her campaign logo.
In a post on social media, McCormick wrote, “I don’t care what type of stove you use.” Her campaign called on the Braun campaign to pull the ad, saying it “violates the principles of transparency and integrity voters deserve in campaign advertising by changing the text on the signs in voters’ hands,” according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Indiana is one of at least 19 states that’s passed legislation addressing artificial intelligence in campaign ads since 2019, according to figures from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Indiana’s law, passed this year, requires any “fabricated media” in campaign communication to be labeled.
The Braun campaign said it’s since updated the ad to comply with state law with a disclaimer that reads “Elements of this media have been digitally altered or artificially generated.” An earlier version of the ad without the disclaimer “was mistakenly delivered to TV stations and is being replaced with the correct version,” the campaign said, according to Fox 59.
This ad is the first to test the new state law, and though it technically follows the rules, it also shows the law’s limitations. It’s not clear that viewers could be expected to come away from watching the ad and understand the image they were shown of the stove protest was fake. The disclaimer runs through the entire ad and doesn’t indicate which parts have been altered or how.
Have you seen this?
Trump campaign turns to secure hardware after hacking incident. Trump’s campaign is now using specialized, encrypted mobile phones and secure laptops in an effort to protect staff following a series of successful Iranian hacks and two attempts to assassinate the former president. [Reuters]
Harris campaign targets Republicans in Arizona with new ad. “I know Donald Trump’s second term would be all about himself. That’s why, like so many other Republicans, I cannot support Donald Trump. Kamala Harris and I may not agree on everything, but I do know that she will always put country first,” says Mesa Mayor John Giles, who is also the Arizona Republicans for Harris advisory committee chair. [Politico]
The Democratic National Committee plans to fly messages over four NFL games in battleground states. The DNC will be skywriting “Vote Kamala” over Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and fly banners over games in three other states. [NBC News]
Senate Republicans to save millions of dollars on ads — thanks to the FEC. A paralyzed FEC won’t block Republicans from using a new strategy that allows them to run TV ads for their candidates at a fraction of the cost. [Politico]
History of political design
Brought to you by Whig, my new newsletter about politics, First Families, and pop culture. Subscribe here.
“Hurrah for Lincoln” torch (1860). Some 10,000 of Abraham Lincoln’s supporters marched in a torchlight parade called the Grand Procession in New York City on Oct. 3, 1860 carrying torches like this. There were fireworks, and the march made the city’s Democrats jealous of Republicans’ enthusiasm, according to the Smithsonian.
Politics in the front, pop culture in the back
Subscribe to my new free newsletter about politics, First Families, and pop culture:
Like what you see? Subscribe for more: