Political ads in Va hit diminishing returns

Associated Press

BOB LEWIS, AP Political Writer

Updated: Sep 30, 2012 11:15 AM

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The bitter back-and-forth of political ads by candidates and allied super PACs has reached a point of diminishing returns with Virginia voters.

Voters, political professionals and media experts say that with political attacks coming at them in the mail, the phone, television and radio, the Internet and even illegal text messages, many people have started shutting down and tuning it out.

Cancer survivor Marilyn Salisbury of Zuni says that's what she does. Retired chemical worker Harry Donahue of Cumberland County says all they do is annoy him.

Virginia Tech political communications professor Bob Denton says if the non-stop ads are mere background noise, that could make debates the next three weeks decisive in Virginia's presidential and Senate elections.

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