It’s been a quiet campaign so far for Issue 1, the proposed constitutional amendment that would overhaul Ohio’s system for drawing political districts for state lawmakers and Congress members.
That changed this week. Citizens Not Politicians, the campaign group behind the amendment, launched its first TV commercial.
The ad likens gerrymandering to the cheating scandal connected to the University of Michigan football team last year and flashes a picture of Jim Harbaugh, the former coach. The theme is a clear nod to the start of the Ohio State Buckeyes’ football season. Apparently the campaign thinks talking about football is a more captivating opening volley than talking about political map drawing.
Chris Davey, the “yes” campaign’s spokesperson, said there’s “millions” behind the ad. It will run digitally and on TV, although only on devices connected through streaming services such as Roku.
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Citizens Not Politicians has reserved $19.2 million in TV ads overall, according to Medium Buying, a political ad firm in Columbus. The “no” campaign group that’s being run by state Republicans, Ohio Works, hasn’t reserved or aired anything. It also hasn’t filed a campaign finance report yet, making its financial picture especially murky.
Ads are particularly crucial for ballot issues, since they can be complicated and voters don’t always hold strong opinions about them, unlike partisan political candidates. So Issue 1’s chances of success could be particularly influenced by how much money each side has to spend.
Nick Everhart, a Republican operative who runs Medium Buying, called it a “one-sided fight” so far.
