Dems are spending big bucks on State Senate ads: Are they effective?

MINNEAPOLIS -- You're being hit over the head with election ads these days and it's going to continue until Tuesday. What you may be surprised to see are ads for individual districts in the Minnesota Legislature.

About 80,000 people live in each Minnesota Senate district, but the ads are being broadcast to about 3.3 million people in the Twin Cities metro area.

MORE: WCCO.com's Election Guide

Are these ads really effective? Esme Murphy takes a look. 

The ads are paid for by Democrats and are targeting Republicans including two veteran Anoka-area senators, Jim Abeler and Roger Chamberlain.

Amy Koch is a Republican analyst.

"Lots of wasted money is how I see that," she said. "For an Anoka race, you have got people in Lakeville seeing that ad, you have got people in Stillwater seeing that ad, we have people in Shakopee seeing that ad."

Democratic analyst Abou Amara disagrees.

"You win or lose these seats by 100, 200, 400," he said. "You are not trying to be targeted in terms of 'I need to persuade 15,000 voters,' you are saying, 'I need to persuade 75 voters.'"

One reason you are seeing so many ads for legislative seats this year is because it's a redistricting year. In Anoka and in districts across the state, there are new boundaries. And this year all 201 seats in the Minnesota legislature are up for election.

Furthermore, Minnesota Democrats have the money. They have outraised Republicans by millions this year.

Other Republicans officials say they're not running similar ads against Democrats because they think the ads are a waste of money.