On this edition of Your Call’s Media Roundtable, we continue of our coverage of the midterm elections by discussing critical races. How are the media framing what's at stake and candidates’ positions on key issues like election integrity, abortion rights, the future of the climate crisis, and Social Security?
The total cost of 2022 federal midterm elections is projected to exceed $9.3 billion, according to an early, conservative estimate by OpenSecrets. More than $1.6 billion has been spent or booked on TV ads in a dozen Senate races, with $3 out of every $4 being spent in six states — Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada and Ohio, according to an NPR analysis of data provided by the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. Most of that money is coming from outside groups, some of which have little-to-no donor transparency — and Republicans are getting a huge boost from them.
Guest:
John Nichols, Washington correspondent for The Nation, contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times, associate editor of the Capital Times, and author of several books, including The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party: The Enduring Legacy of Henry Wallace's Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racist Politics
Web Resources:
The Nation: Donald Trump Cursed the GOP With a Clown Car of Senate Candidates
Common Dreams: 'I Will Not Yield': Biden Vows to Fight Any GOP Attack on Social Security, Medicare
USA Today: More Americans die younger in states with conservative policies, study finds
Common Cause: Extremists’ Plot to Nationalize Voter Suppression: 2023 and Beyond
NPR: Outside groups have spent nearly $1 billion so far to boost GOP Senate candidates
The Washington Post: Meet the mega-donors pumping millions into the 2022 midterms
Boston Globe: Price-Gouging Corporations Helping Drive Inflation Must Be Held Accountable