GOP Rep. John Katko recently went up with his first negative TV spot in New York’s 24th Congressional District targeting his Democratic rival, Dana Balter, which repeatedly features an audio clip of Balter saying, "Um, well, you would have an increase in taxes" to argue that she would jack up taxes on central New York. Balter quickly went up with a response ad in an attempt to push back, but her spot kicks off with a big and avoidable mistake that is liable to undermine its effectiveness.
Balter begins by asking viewers if they've seen Katko's ad, and to refresh their memories, she plays the exact same “you would have an increase in taxes” clip that Katko is hammering her with. Balter then charges that the audio is "completely out of context," saying, “I support tax cuts for working families.” (You can read more on the context here.) Balter then slams Katko for supporting the GOP tax bill, which “gives most of the benefits to the wealthy and corporations.”
In taking the approach that she does, Balter has broken the cardinal rule of campaign ads: Never repeat your opponent’s attacks. By doing so, Balter puts herself on the defensive almost immediately in her own commercial, forcing her to expend valuable seconds before she can go on offense. Even worse, by re-using this unflattering audio snippet, she's allowing the recording to reach a wider audience even as she tries to debunk it. In replaying the audio, she runs the risk that viewers will remember that short and unfavorable clip rather than her longer defense.
However, there are better ways to counter this kind of negative ad. Balter has the right idea to pivot to hitting Katko over his own policies and votes, but instead of trying to defend herself, she should attack her opponent precisely because he's running misleading ads. Indeed, that’s what you’ll typically see candidates in Balter’s position do. Balter should start off by saying something like, "John Katko's attacking me with bogus attack ads. I support tax cuts for working families. He voted to lower them for corporations." That would allow Balter to address and counter the charges without repeating them and giving them a wider audience, and it would also leave her with more time to deliver her own message.