Candidate B-Roll as Super PAC Subsidy

Abstract

Prior research theorizes that recent growth in outside election spending has undermined candidates’ ability to control the information received by voters. This paper explores how candidates have adapted to retain control over their visual presentation to voters in the face of competition with wealthy outside interests. Drawing on a new dataset of B-Roll video and image provision in congressional campaigns, I show that this strategy was employed more than 650 times in 390 U.S. House and Senate races from 2018–2022. These visual resources served as a novel form of subsidy for allied super PACs, lowering the cost of production for outside ads and encouraging outside involvement in congressional races. By matching candidate-provided visual resources to a dataset of 7881 political ads, I show that more than $116.5 million of “independent” outside advertising was subsidized through candidate B-Roll and image provision during the 2018 and 2020 cycles alone. This research indicates that candidates continue to prioritize - and wield significant control over - their visual presentation in political advertising despite regulatory and financial disadvantages.