Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders aired 206,528 ads. Not a single one was negative.
As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders' fight for the Democratic nomination winds toward a close, the pair of candidates leaves behind them a surprisingly friendly primary — perhaps the most gracious ever, at least in terms advertisements. According to Kantar Media, of the 206,528 ad spots Clinton and Sanders aired between them this year, not a single one was determined by analysts to be "negative."
"In an open presidential primary, this is probably unprecedented," Kantar's senior vice president for political advertising Elizabeth Wilner told Bloomberg.
Donald Trump, by comparison, faced $62 million in attack ads during the primary season. Obama and Clinton both aired negative ads against each other back in 2008, too. However, Sanders doesn't believe in attack ads — and Clinton both didn't see Sanders as a big enough threat and risked alienating his supporters in a general election by airing her own ads against him.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The goodwill might not last much longer, however. Clinton has no such qualms holding back against Trump — her campaign has already produced an ad slamming her likely general election opponent for attacking Judge Gonzalo Curiel in a racist manner. And, of course, Trump has never exactly been one to hold back on how he really feels.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A man's best friend, the elephants in the room, and more
-
A TikTok trend has Gen Z men leaving streetwear behind for more preppy attireThe Explainer More than a zipper: Young Black men embrace the ‘quarter-zip movement‘
-
Sudoku hard: December 12, 2025The daily hard sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
