CBS 58 MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) — With the primary election one month away, political ads are about to fill TV screens and social media feeds across Wisconsin. But do those ads work?
Experts say yes, mainly because television "is the medium of our time, kind of like radio was 100 years ago." It allows candidates to gain name and face recognition. The more money political candidates spend, the more their name and face will appear on your screen. Both Democratic and Republican candidates for governor have spent hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, of dollars on political ads this election cycle while also letting the public and their competition know along the way.
"I suspect that the two people who dropped out relatively recently had that moment of truth. They just realized they weren't competitive and better to drop out now," said Mordecai Lee, professor emeritus of political science at UW-Milwaukee.
Mandela Barnes released a new ad Thursday, with his campaign touting a six-figure ad buy. Kelda Roys spent a similar amount on her ad. Joel Brennan also made a significant ad buy, and Sara Rodriguez's campaign says she spent $1 million. The only gubernatorial candidate who has yet to make a large ad purchase is Francesca Hong.
"You need a million bucks to have something close to a saturation television buy in Wisconsin, and of course this is a statewide race," Lee said.
Even without serious primary competition, Tom Tiffany is still spending millions.
"The smart thing to do is to maintain his presence and to gradually build familiarity so people say, 'Oh yeah, I've heard of that guy.' That's what he is doing right now," Lee said.
The last gubernatorial race broke the record for being the most expensive, something that could happen again.
"With the Republican Party hoarding money, the Democratic Party hoarding money, the real biggie is going to happen the day after the primary," Lee said.
Already during this primary, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have visited Wisconsin to campaign for Republican candidates, something the expert CBS 58 spoke with says is likely to happen more during the general election.
"I wouldn't be surprised that by the time we get close to the gubernatorial election, the vice president is going to go door to door in some swing neighborhood to show how much the administration is committed to helping Tom Tiffany win the governorship," Lee said.
The next statewide campaign finance report in Wisconsin is the July continuing report, which is due July 15, 2026. It will give the public a look at how much money each candidate has raised, how they are spending it and who is donating to them.
