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How are candidates capitalizing on the prevailing narratives of this year's election?

In the 2024 General Election, a prevailing narrative that has taken hold is the fight for women’s reproductive rights and immigration. Kamala Harris’ campaign has highlighted her intentions to reinstate Roe v. Wade and statewide access to abortions and reproductive healthcare, while Donald Trump’s campaign is sticking with the recently-adopted “leave it up to the states” motto.

While Harris’ platform focuses on women’s issues, Trump’s campaign is still focusing on illegal immigration and the “border crisis.” Many of Trump’s ads attack migrants and Harris’ policies as vice president, calling her the “border czar” and using foreboding music to make viewers associate immigration with feelings of unease and distrust. That can be seen in this advertisement, as well as many of the other ads from his team.

Meanwhile, the Harris/Walz campaign has taken the platform that women have the right to choose and Roe v. Wade protections must be reinstated. Her ads take a gentle, empathetic approach to the topic, using real stories from women who survived sexual assault and had access to reproductive healthcare to show how important this issue is to Americans. A great example of that can be seen in the ad below.

In terms of how the two campaigns are advertising on TikTok, I can personally say I haven't seen an ad for either candidate come across my feed. This is because since 2019, TikTok has banned political advertisements to keep the platform "positive." Political ads for both candidates can be seen on practically every other platform though, especially YouTube and streaming services. I, like many users, appreciate the break from political ads on TikTok, although people still post very political content. 

Comments

  1. Camren HardyNovember 21, 2024 at 7:17 PM

    Interestingly I did not know that TikTok banned political advertisements, I just figured the campaigns didn't want to spend money on that platform. I also personally haven't seen any ads on things like YouTube but thats not because they aren't on there I know they are I just got so tired of how many there were that I got YouTube premium I kid you not. Also I do find it really interesting how the themes of ads change depending on who's in office. Like for example when candidate a is in office the government is great and everything is going great, but when candidate b is office then candidate a makes it out that the government is terrible and evil essentially.

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  2. Christian AndrewsNovember 22, 2024 at 9:13 AM

    Your blog post provides a fascinating look at the media's influence in the 2024 election, especially in how candidates are framing issues like women's reproductive rights and immigration. I agree with your observation that media campaigns often use emotional appeals to shape public opinion. For instance, Harris' ads tapping into personal stories of women who have benefited from reproductive healthcare create a strong emotional connection with voters. In contrast, Trump's ads use fear tactics around immigration, such as ominous music and stark imagery, to evoke anxiety and distrust about border security.

    The different strategies reveal how media can manipulate voter emotions by playing on fears or hopes, often without providing much substantive policy detail. You also highlight the interesting contrast between the platforms where these ads appear. While Harris focuses on more empathetic messaging, Trump uses a confrontational, hardline stance—both of which are amplified differently across media channels, as you've pointed out. The absence of political ads on TikTok is particularly notable, especially given how influential the platform has become among younger voters.

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