Here at Punchbowl News, we love analyzing ads. We’ve noticed more and more lawmakers paying for what look like political ads with taxpayer dollars.
Through their franking privilege budget, House members have spent $5 million this cycle on broadcast and digital ads touting their service in office, according to an analysis by AdImpact. The communication can’t be explicitly political and has to be approved by House authorities. But many of the franked ads running this cycle look awfully close to political ads.
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) leads the way among members with a total of $1.4 million spent on franked ads, according to AdImpact.
New York Republican Reps. Brandon Williams and Claudia Tenney spent $432,000 and $424,000 respectively on franked ads. Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) and Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) round out the top five with $350,000 and $300,000 spent respectively.
Here’s a look at some taxpayer-funded ads, several of which contain pretty political rhetoric.
— Williams plays up his support for Israel in an ad that says the U.S. alliance “is crucial for peace and stability in the region.” While Williams talks about fighting antisemitism, the screen flashes a message that says he is “holding the radical left accountable.”
— One Ryan ad touts his work going after Central Hudson Gas & Electric. It features a speech Ryan made on the House floor. “Congressman Pat Ryan: Standing against corporate greed, standing up for us,” the narrator says to close the ad.
Ryan said his office always tries to get its message out, whether it’s through mobile constituent vans or town halls. “This allows us to communicate with people,” Ryan said of the franked ads. “I’d always rather over-communicate.”
Not everyone is eager to talk about their ad spending, however. When we caught up with Tenney to ask about her spending, she declined to comment.
— In one of Tenney’s taxpayer-funded ads, she talks direct-to-camera about “the invasion at our southern border.” She also explains why she voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Thanedar, the top spender, didn’t delve into politics in his franked ads. But his big expenditure did come while he faced a competitive primary challenge.
— In one of Thanedar’s ads, he pledges to help constituents deal with the federal government. The ad includes testimony from people who say Thanedar helped them get a passport and assisted them in dealing with the IRS.
Correction: In this morning’s edition of The Tally, the AdImpact data we cited to calculate franked ad spending from Rep. Pat Ryan’s (D-N.Y.) office overestimated the spending. Ryan’s office spent $300,000 on franked ads, not $1.3 million.
