Some Md. Voters Say Big Bucks Spent On Ads Aren't Making A Huge Impact
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—If you've watched any television the last few weeks, you've seen them: a barrage of campaign ads.
Adam May has reaction from voters.
The airwaves are flooded. There are so many commercials that some TV stations are sold out and many voters are fed up.
"They haven't changed my opinion," one man said.
Do they make a difference?
"No, I had my mind made up," one woman said.
"I can't relate to too much of it," one man said.
"I think the ads have confused people. They've made them suspicious and made them angry," said Johns Hopkins political science professor Matthew Crenson.
Crenson says some people may vote against an issue simply because of over-advertising.
On gambling alone, both sides already claim a total of more than $56 million.
"I'm amazed," a man said.
"It's unbelievable, the money spent," another man said.
"I think it's terrible," one woman said.
The war chests are expected to climb with new finance reports due Friday.
"You have to consider how much is at stake in Question 7," Crenson said. "The gambling interests stand to make hundreds of millions depending on how this comes out."
If anything, the ads have raised awareness.
"I have to research Question 6 and 7 because last election I had no clue about the questions," one woman said.
Campaign sources tell WJZ to expect even more ads, with early voting starting Saturday.
The polls show Question 7, expanded gambling, is tied. Question 6, marriage equality, is winning. We'll see over the next two weeks if the onslaught of campaign ads changes opinions.
Campaign spending this year has already exceeded the 2010 governor's race.
