Voters facing deluge of ads as Tuesday's primary nears

COLUMBIA -- Lt. John Kerry slogging through the Vietnamese jungle, rifle in hand. John Edwards speaking earnestly in front of images of a closed textile mill like the one where his father worked. Wesley Clark in a homespun checkered shirt.

These are the images inundating South Carolina voters in the days leading up to Tuesday's presidential primary, as the campaigns pour tens of thousands of dollars into last-minute television advertising. Seven dueling ads for Edwards, Kerry and Clark competed for attention in the commercial breaks during the 30-minute 6 p.m. news broadcast on Columbia's WIS-TV Friday night.

Some viewers are getting weary of the political carpet bombing.

"They do nothing to persuade me," said Donald Fennoy, 48, of Dalzell, an elementary school teacher. "I'll be glad when the primary is over."

Edwards first on air

Edwards, a senator from North Carolina, was the first to air ads in the state, starting in August. He was followed by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Clark, a retired general.

Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, only began advertising last week. His aggressive campaign began Wednesday following his victory in the New Hampshire primary. Edwards, long the leader in South Carolina polls, and Clark, an Arkansas resident who hopes to be competitive in primaries held in Southern states, also launched new ads.

The ads are heavy on biography. Kevin Geddings, a veteran South Carolina Democratic political media consultant, said he doubts they're doing much to sway undecided voters.

"TV does not really have much of an impact," said Geddings, adding that none of the ads "is drawing a contrast" with Kerry, the national front-runner, who closely trails Edwards in South Carolina.

In the latest ads, only Clark sounds a negative note when he asks, "Do we really need another Washington politician?" He does not name Kerry or Edwards, both U.S. senators.

"Unless Edwards tells undecided voters why they shouldn't go to Kerry, they're going to Kerry because he's the rock star of the moment," Geddings said.

Evan Tracey, chief operating officer of TNSMI/Campaign Media Analysis Group, a firm that monitors political advertising, said the purpose of the ads is to lock in support from voters who have already chosen a candidate, rather than swaying undecided voters.

According to the campaigns, Edwards has spent almost $2 million on ads in South Carolina, Clark has spent about $1.5 million, Dean less than $1 million and Kerry, about $300,000.

Dean takes to radio

Notably absent from the final round of TV advertising is Dean, who pulled his ads in South Carolina following his poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, and Lieberman, who did not renew a television buy that expired Thursday. Dean, however, has joined Sharpton and Clark in running ads on radio stations with large audiences of African-Americans, who could account for up to half the vote Tuesday.

Tracey said South Carolina TV stations are now carrying 100 political ads a day. That's about the level in Iowa and New Hampshire preceding their votes, though those states experienced protracted weeks of ad overload.

Yet Geddings said the candidates are spending a fraction of what has been spent in statewide campaigns for governor and senator, noting that advertising expenditures totaled $18 million in just six weeks during the 2002 governor's race.

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STEVEN SENNE
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards was the first to air political ads in South Carolina in preparation for Tuesday's primary, but has been criticized for not offering an alternative to undecided voters.

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