Political Experts React to Hilarious Ads Against Republicans

October 5, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

When Democrats Have Room to Run

In a cycle where Democratic incumbents are playing defense across the map, a handful of candidates are taking creative risks with their advertising—and the results are surprisingly good. Dan Pfeiffer and Jennifer Palmieri sat down to break down three standout ads that show what happens when Democrats get "room to run," as Palmieri puts it: "When the political winds are in your favor, you have a lot more room to be creative and take risks."

The Sherrod Brown Ad: Letting the Opponent Speak

The first ad they examined comes from Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown's campaign, and it does something unusual: it lets the opponent's own words do the work. The ad features a clip of Republican challenger Bernie Moreno speaking about poverty, where he says people living in poverty are "not very experienced at navigating the real world" and tells a story about a woman who "doesn't really know how money works at a grocery store" because she's used SNAP benefits her whole life. The ad cuts to Brown saying "Fuck that" before approving the message.

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What you'll learn

1 Political Experts React to Hilarious Ads Against Republicans
2 Timestamped Outline
3 (00:37) **Introduction: Creative Democratic Ads This Cycle** - Dan Pfeiffer and Jennifer Palmieri set up the episode, noting that Democrats have more room for creative risks when political winds are in their favor
4 (01:31) **Sherrod Brown's "Fuck That" Ad** - An ad attacking Republican challenger Bernie Moreno uses a damning quote about people living in poverty, with Sherrod Brown reacting with profanity
5 (03:00) **Race Dynamics: Challenger Better Known Than Incumbent** - A rare situation where the challenger (Moreno) is more famous than the incumbent (Brown), so Brown gets to define his opponent
6 (04:34) **Newsletter Plug** - Dan promotes his newsletter "The Message Box" for tracking midterm elections
7 (04:55) **Abdul El-Sayed's Hot Dog Car Ad** - A viral ad based on the "I Think You Should Leave" sketch, where a hot dog-suited candidate crashes a car through a window to protest prescription drug prices

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Dan Pfeiffer Jennifer Palmieri

Show Notes

Jeniffer Palmieri joins Dan Pfeiffer to break down the latest VIRAL ads from Democrats Against Republicans featuring ads from Sherd Brow (Ohio), Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan), and Jamie Ager (N. Carolina).

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