Midterm Madness

With control of Congress at stake, the 2026 midterm campaigns are on track to spend an all-time record sum on this election cycle. On this week’s On the Media, how political ads are resonating, and misfiring. Plus, a look at the changing relationships between public radio stations and universities after the defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

[00:00] Micah speaks with Marisa Kabas, founder of the independent news site The Handbasket, about her scoop that revealed the identity of the man who attempted to heckle Democratic senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a campaign rally last week. She discusses how El-Sayed used this exchange for his own campaign’s gain. Plus, the aftermath of a viral, widely-panned ad deployed by Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio gubernatorial race.

[00:00] Brooke and Micah analyze the flood of political campaign ads in the lead-up to the midterm elections, with the help of Washington Post data reporter Lydia Sidhom, who reviewed $1.6 billion of campaign ads from the highest profile congressional and gubernatorial races. They look at the five issues that candidates and PACs spent the most money highlighting—including the economy and corruption—and review what seems to be sticking for voters, and what doesn’t. 

[00:00] Brooke sits down with Lucy Schiller, journalist and assistant professor of nonfiction writing at Grinnell College, to talk about her recent article examining universities struggling to adhere to the Trump administration's policies while supporting their licensed public radio stations. Then, Brooke speaks with Will Dahlberg, former general manager at WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, about what led him to leave his station.

Further reading / watching:

• “'Tommy' from viral El-Sayed video is former Sen. Hawley staffer with Christian nationalist ties,” by Marisa Kabas
• “We reviewed $1.6 billion of campaign ads. Here are the takeaways,” by Luke Connors, Lydia Sidhom and Laura Beveridge
• “‘All They’re Going to Hear Is Capitulation’,” by Lucy Schiller

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