The advertising wars have been fierce. Here’s what voters saw.

Tens of millions of dollars have been poured into television advertising in the four states with key elections on Tuesday, a sign of the national implications of their outcomes.

Whether they’re about state lawmakers in Virginia, a constitutional amendment in Ohio, or candidates for governor in Kentucky and Mississippi, the ads have a number of themes in common.

Threats to abortion rights are prominent in Democratic ads, even in states where the issue is not explicitly addressed. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade last year, Democrats have had electoral success in fueling opposition to restrictive abortion laws.

Advertisements for Republican candidates, in turn, often link Democrats to President Biden’s record, but also to inflation, taxes and the prevailing economic uncertainty. And if Republican candidates have been endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump, it’s a good bet that will show up in their ads.

The high-stakes abortion battle in Ohio

In Ohio, voters will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on Issue 1, a ballot initiative that would enshrine a constitutional right to “carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” — effectively turning the Republican-controlled Legislature prevented from passing a strict law. anti-abortion law.

But confusion over the initiative’s language, including what restrictions the state could impose on abortion, has been amplified by misinformation and exaggeration on and off the airwaves.

An ad from Protect Women Ohio — an anti-abortion group that has spent more than $6.7 million in advertising time, according to media tracking firm AdImpact — features the state’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, and his wife, Fran . says, “Issue 1 would allow an abortion at any time during pregnancy, and it would deny parents the right to be involved in their daughter’s decision-making.”

(The statement is misleading: the amendment expressly allows the state to limit the procedure beyond the point of fetal viability, approximately 23 weeks, unless the patient’s physician deems the procedure necessary to protect the patient’s life or health to protect.)

Most “vote no” ads speak to voters’ discomfort with late-term abortions, which data show are very rare and usually performed in cases where doctors say the fetus will not survive.

Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, a coalition of abortion rights groups that support the amendment, has spent $19.5 million on advertising since the beginning of September, AdImpact’s analysis shows. The group’s ads, and “vote yes” ads in general, frame the issue as government interference in personal health care decisions and the ability of doctors to make life-saving decisions.

They also raise the alarm about young girls being forced to bear the child of a rapist. In an advertisementsays a man: “The state is trying to ban abortion, even in cases of rape. When I hear that, all I can think is: what if it’s my daughter?

Virginia’s crucial state-level legislative races

All 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly are up for election, and Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, is leading an effort to bring both chambers under Republican Party control. The election will serve as a barometer of Youngkin’s popularity, gauge local sentiment about Biden and test whether abortion continues to mobilize voters.

In total, about $72 million, including money from national groups, has been spent on advertising time in the state, with a dozen of the most competitive races accounting for about $50 million in advertising.

Overall, Democrats have argued that if Republicans prevail, Virginia will join other Southern states in sharply restricting abortion rights, while Republicans’ ads focus on tax cuts and job creation. Many of them feature Mr. Youngkin.

Some ads contain targeted attacks, with accusations of racism, socialism And creep. But in the most closely fought races, some candidates have tried to find a middle ground: Democrats quote their gun ownership, or Republicans saying they want it protect women’s rights.

Kentucky’s decision on a Democratic governor

Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, and committees supporting him have spent $46.9 million on advertising for election participation, according to AdImpact’s analysis, far more than the $28.6 million spent supporting his Republican opponent, Daniel Cameron, the state’s attorney general.

Nearly all of that spending has come from two entities — Mr. Beshear’s campaign and Defending Bluegrass Values, a committee backed by the Democratic Governors Association — each of which has spent more than $23 million.

Advertisements in support of Mr. Beshear focused on two major themes: pressuring Republicans over their opposition to abortion rights, and Mr. Beshear’s record in infrastructure and economic growth. The ads do not mention Mr. Biden, who has a low approval rating nationally and especially in heavily conservative Kentucky.

Mr Cameron’s campaign ads have done just that painted the popular Mr. Beshear as an ally of Mr. Biden, who veers to the left on crime, LGBTQ rights and schools. Ads supporting him, many tied to national organizations including the Republican Governors Association, are having a major impact recommended Mr. Trump’s recommendation of Mr. Cameron (including digs at Mr. Biden).

Mississippi’s challenge for a GOP governor

In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican who has been weakened by a major welfare scandal involving well-connected Republican donors has also counted on Mr. Trump’s support.

That support is discussed in an advertisement painting Mr. Reeves’ Democratic opponent, Brandon Presley, as a puppet of “Joe Biden’s people.” (Another advertisement says Mr. Presley’s campaign money comes from “liberal states.”)

The two parties have spent a similar amount on advertising: $8.5 million for Mr. Presley, $9.5 million for Mr. Reeves.

Advertisements for Mr. Presley – a cousin of Elvis Presley, with the voice to prove it – have done just that focused about his upbringing and made an argument that Mr. Reeves “doesn’t care about working people.”

Mr Presley, who has said he is ‘pro-life’, has done so too campaigned on expanding Medicaid to the state. Healthcare is a major focus of Democratic ads in Mississippi, where hospitals are facing an acute funding crisis.