GOP has devoted 90% of ad budget to negative campaigns since Harris' nomination, data shows

 Former President Donald Trump and his allies have run an overwhelmingly negative advertising campaign since Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee two months ago, advertising data shows.

This is a striking contrast with the more mixed approach that Harris and her allies have taken to their messaging.

The ad tracking firm AdImpact categorizes broadcast TV ads from political advertisers with either a “positive,” “negative,” or “contrast” tone — and while some ads can toe the line between a negative attack and a forceful contrast, the broader split among each side’s advertising budget reveals their divergent approaches.

The data shows that about 90% of Republican presidential ad spending on broadcast TV over the last two months has gone to “negative” advertising, about $178 million out of $199 million. In addition, Republicans have spent about $21 million on “contrast ads,” about 10% of their ad budget, during that stretch, and just $75,000 on “positive” ads, less than 1% of their total broadcast TV ad spending.

By contrast, Democrats have devoted about 20% of their advertising budget over the last two months to “negative” ads while spending the most on “contrast ads,” slightly over 40%, and slightly less than 40% on “positive” ads.

The messaging patterns extend across both campaigns and their allies. Trump’s campaign has put about 70% of its advertising money behind “negative” ads since Biden dropped out, and about 30% on “contrast” ads. Pro-Trump outside groups are even more skewed – “negative” ads account for 99% of their spending.

The Harris campaign, meanwhile, has put about 43% of its ad spending behind “contrast” ads, about 39% behind “positive” ads, and about 19% behind “negative” ads; pro-Harris outside groups are slightly more negative, with about 39% behind “contrast” ads, 40% behind “positive” ads, and 21% behind “negative ads,” but they hold to the same general pattern.