Iowans are being bombarded with campaign ads in the most expensive election to date. Jay Newell, a professor of advertising at Iowa State University, says more money is being spent on ads during this 2018 midterm election than even the 2016 presidential election. More than six-million dollars is being spent on ads just in the governor’s race. Newell says ads for the 2016 Iowa Caucuses started early in 2015 and ran nearly a full year.

Newell says what happens in political advertising is a lot like what happens with brand advertising.

An I-S-U study of political advertising during the 2016 Iowa Caucuses showed the candidates who spent more on television advertising generally received more support on caucus night, but spending does -not- guarantee a win.