January 27, 2014 / Modified jan 27, 2014 10:40 a.m.

Ad Wars for 2014 Congressional Race Begin

It may only be Jan. but campaign propaganda already flooding TVs, etc.; Election Day is Nov. 4.

Listen:

The ad war for this year's congressional races have begun, but some of the actual candidates haven't had anything to do with such inauguration.

For instance, a series of ads for and against Democratic incumbents U.S. Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick and Ron Barber are all funded by outside groups.

Kate Kenski, a UA communications associate professor, said even though it is January it is not too early for campaign ads.

She said for decades it has been true that the first messages are the ones that are remembered.

“For example, when Clinton was running for re-election, his campaign team knew they had to put ads out 18 months in advance in order for him to survive the 1996 election, and he did quite handily with the help of Dick Morris.”

Kenski said President Obama did the same thing, getting ads out early in 2012.

This current ad war began when the conservative Americans for Prosperity political action committee ran an ad attacking Barber and Kirkpatrick.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., House Majority PAC responded with an ad defending the two Democrats.

Andy Stone, communications director at House Majority PAC, said democrats consider Arizona’s Congressional District 1 and 2 priorities, so they had no choice but to respond to negatives ads.

The ad war is a game of one upmanship. The National Republican Congressional Committee then responded to the House Majority PAC spot, said Daniel Scarpinato, press secretary at NRCC.

“We don’t take anything for granted," he said. "Nancy Pelosi’s Super PAC came in and spent a lot of money, and so I think its important that voters have a counter to that message and we’re not going to take anything for granted in these races."

These ads are just the beginning.

Campaign operatives and political observers say plenty of money will flood into these districts.

Election Day is Nov. 4, 2014.

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