Madison Perales, Neb. —

Nebraska voters are being inundated with political ads this election season, prompting questions about their claims and strategies, as Creighton University political science expert Dr. Rick Witmer explained.

“I think there’s some diminishing returns because we see so many of these ads; people start to tune them out,” Witmer said.

He said that ads are most effective when paired with other campaign strategies, such as door-knocking.

“They’re going to know you were in the community. They’ll have that flier, and they’ll remember that,” Witmer said.

At the beginning of election season, Witmer said campaign ads focus on introducing candidates and their platforms.

For example, a Pete Ricketts campaign ad stated, “Pete Ricketts has been there for Nebraska,” while Dan Osborn declared in his ad, “I’ll cut the pork.”

Witmer explained this tactic: “What they’re trying to do is to have you think about the candidates and the positive message that they’re sending, and that negative information isn’t coming from the candidates; it’s coming from these outside groups,” he said.

Political Action Committees frequently end their ads with disclaimers such as, “Cornhusker Majority is responsible for the content of this advertising.”

Witmer said these groups “do everything that they can to try to influence those elections” and often work to define candidates they oppose.

“Context often matters on a lot of these things,” he added.

One ad from the Congressional Leadership Fund PAC claimed NE-02 Democratic candidate Denise Powell is “bankrolled by the same foreign billionaire she works for” and that she is “under investigation by the Nebraska attorney general for illegal campaign activities.”

The ad references a pending 2025 Nebraska attorney general lawsuit against a foreign billionaire accused of infiltrating state ballot initiatives.

The lawsuit does not allege donations to individual campaigns, only to ballot initiatives. Powell has consulted for two of the organizations listed in the lawsuit, and reported this work in her financial disclosure this year.

They’re two of 16 organizations she’s consulted for since 2024, but Federal Election Commission records show no donations from either of these companies to Powell’s campaign.

Another ad from the House Majority PAC made claims against NE-02 Republican candidate Brinker Harding, claiming he supports policies leading to higher energy bills and linking him to the U.S. conflict with Iran.

Costs rose when the Strait of Hormuz was shut down. When initial strikes hit the region, Harding responded on social media, stating the operation aimed to “ensure Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon.”

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During a KETV debate, Harding reiterated this sentiment: “The end game is very clear what we need to be doing in Iran, and that is to make sure that they do not have a nuclear weapon.”

READ MORE: KETV hosts live debate as Brinker Harding, Denise Powell battle in Nebraska’s 2nd District race

To navigate the flood of political ads, Witmer recommended voters rely on voter guides and conduct their own research.

“Base their decision on that and not on the ads that they’re seeing,” he said.

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