With early voting in the seventh congressional district special election beginning on Sept. 17, it is clear that the gloves are off between candidates seeking the Republican nomination. In a few weeks leading up to the Oct. 7 primary election the intensity and volume of attack ads hitting the TV and radio waves and mailboxes will increase dramatically.
The latest example is a hard-hitting TV ad from a PAC affiliated with the Club For Growth targeting State Rep. Jody Barrett. Their animosity towards Barrett is fueled in large part by his opposition to, and vote against, Governor Bill Lee’s school voucher plan that they aggressively supported and helped to pass. In fact, School Freedom Fund first hit Barrett back in August with a Internet ad called “the snake.”
During the 2024 election cycle, School Freedom Fund invested $3.6 million and defeated four anti-voucher Republicans in the Tennessee State Legislative primaries. Club for Growth also invested six figures urging lawmakers to support Governor Lee’s Education Freedom Act ahead of the bill’s final passage earlier this year.
The new commercial “Two Kinds”, is just as hard hitting, featuring a female narrator and dark graphics and text.
“There are two kinds of Republicans: MAGA and Phony! Politicians like Jody Barrett, the fake Republican who trashed Trump on Facebook, calling him a “liberal douchebag”. Nasty insult from a liberal hypocrite. Barrett voted with Democrats for over a billion dollars in higher taxes after Biden supporters funded his campaign. Funded by Democrats, voting with Democrats. Trump hater like Democrats. That’s Jody Barrett.”
“School freedom fund is responsible for the content of this ad.”
In the immediate wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, as emotions remain raw and divisive and hateful rhetoric from the Left seems to have increased, some political strategists question airing tough political attack ads at this particular time. Yet, with such a short sprint to election day, the campaigns really have no option other than to throw everything but the kitchen sink at their opponents.
While voters consistently complain about attack ads, there is a simple reason why campaigns use them: they almost always work! But in a campaign with 11 candidates, an effective attack ad can clearly bring someone down a few notches, but it is almost impossible to predict where those voters move to. And, in a campaign likely to already see low voter turnout, does it end up increasing the number of those who simply stay home?
Steve Gill is the publisher and editor of TriStar Daily.
