海角大神

Voting for governor 鈥� it鈥檚 just like picking a wedding dress isn鈥檛 it? You flip through option after option but their sleeves are too long or tax programs too expensive. Then you find The One 鈥� it鈥檚 perfect, it will set off your hair color just right and fill you with fiscal confidence on that long walk down the aisle.

To the voting booth, not the altar.

Or not. Maybe you鈥檝e never connected satin and tulle with elections. But the College Republican National Committee has, and they鈥檝e released a controversial series of ads aimed at young voters that depicts a bride-to-be shopping for a real-life gubernatorial choice as if it were a wedding dress.

These 鈥淪ay Yes to the Candidate鈥� ads are reminiscent of TLC鈥檚 鈥淪ay Yes to the Dress鈥� reality show. They start with a young woman named 鈥淏rittany鈥� twirling amidst sparkles and bubbles while wearing her simple, modern choice of wedding gown.

Brittany mentions that budget is important to her now that she鈥檚 just graduated from college. 鈥淭he Rick Scott is perfect!鈥� she exclaims.

鈥淩ick Scott is becoming a trusted brand,鈥� she adds in a voice-over.

But mom has other ideas. 鈥淚 like the Charlie Crist,鈥� she says in her best momzilla impersonation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 expensive and a little outdated, but I know best.鈥�

Eye-rolling and friend commentary ensues. The 鈥淐harlie Crist鈥� is depicted as ensnaring Brittany in debt for the rest of her life.

Then comes the dramatic climax.

鈥淢om, this is my decision,鈥� declares Brittany. 鈥淎nd I see a better future with Rick Scott!鈥�

This is the Florida version of the wedding dress spot. Incumbent GOP Gov. Rick Scott is running for reelection in a tight race against former governor Charlie Crist.

If you check out the CRNC YouTube channel, you can find almost-identical versions for a number of other states with gubernatorial contests. There鈥檚 the Pennsylvania model (鈥淭he Tom Corbett is perfect!鈥�), the Michigan model (鈥淭he Rick Snyder is perfect!鈥�), the Illinois version (鈥淭he Bruce Rauner is perfect!鈥�), a Colorado version (鈥淭he Bob Beauprez is perfect!鈥�) and copy for Arkansas (鈥淭he Asa Hutchinson is perfect!鈥�)

Democrats say they鈥檙e aghast. Their point of view is that the ads are sexist and inexplicable 鈥� does the GOP really think condescending to millennial women is the best way to attract younger voters?

By the way, they add, most women don鈥檛 get married right out of college any more.

鈥淪ometimes, it鈥檚 hard not to wonder whether Republicans are trying to drive women voters away on purpose,鈥� writes Steven Benen on MSNBC鈥檚 left-leaning .

It鈥檚 possible these ads will work, though. They break through the clutter. Maybe the arch reference to a reality show will make them seem within cultural bounds? We gave up predicting ad effectiveness long ago 鈥� there are too many variables.

But here鈥檚 their underlying secret: not that many actual voters may see them. The CRNC has about $2 million for its entire field budget this cycle. According to news reports, the group will spend about $1 million on the dress ads. Spread over six states, that is unlikely to move anybody鈥檚 poll numbers.

Sometimes, political ads created by non-candidate groups are intended to drive news coverage, and raise the profile of the group itself. Remember 鈥�Creepy Uncle Sam?鈥�

Also, identical ads churned out for multiple races often don鈥檛 work. That鈥檚 a good point made by political scientist Jonathan Bernstein at .

It鈥檚 easy for the targets of the ads to frame their own ads about how outside interests who don鈥檛 actually care about the state in question are backing their foe. They just have to run clips of all the ads together, to show their assembly line quality.

Most campaign professionals learned that long ago, according to Mr. Bernstein.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a classic example of the way elections are conducted in the US: Candidates鈥� campaign organizations are seemingly in charge, but decentralized party and quasi-party organizations step in and help 鈥搊r embarrass 鈥� them,鈥� he writes.