Rhetorical Analysis of Political Ads (Essay Sample)

Who are you going to vote for—it is a question that almost everyone is asked at least once during election season, whether it be during federal, state, or local elections. Elections are some of the fiercest forms of open, public competition and in recent years they have become increasingly competitive on every level. As such, candidates running for office and their supporters have been pumping tens of millions of dollars into campaigns to try and reach out to voters, advertise, and garner more votes (Astudillo). One such group, the Human Rights Campaign PAC (HRC PAC) has put out advertisements and posters in support of the 2022 Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Beto O’Rourke. Through extensive use of color, especially blue, coupled with nostalgic, noticeable imagery, and bold, terse words, the Human Rights Campaign PAC seeks to convince Texas voters to vote for Beto O’Rourke in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Upon first glance at the advertisement, it is impossible to ignore the striking use of the color blue (Human Rights Campaign PAC). In politics and political elections, blue is most often a symbol of the Democratic party, and by using such a large and saturated amount of blue, the HRC PAC is trying to target Democratic Texans. Not only that but blue is viewed as a calm, cool color, often associated with being the color of intellect (Kurt, Sevinc, & Osueke). This shows that, as governor, O’Rourke will make decisions in a level-headed and calm manner, rather than be irrational and hasty. The use of blue in the ad is also not monochrome as there are at least four different shades of it in the ad, which keeps the audience from fixating on a specific part of the ad and instead guides their eyes across different parts of the ad. As such, the primary purpose of the color blue to attract Texas Democrats and emphasize O’Rourke’s governorship as one that will be centered around thorough decision-making.

As the viewer’s eyes are guided across the advertisement, it is hard to miss the nostalgic shapes and images present. There is a large rainbow in the top left corner of the ad, within which the words “Public Servant” are spelled (Human Rights Campaign PAC). A rainbow-colored flag and the use of rainbow colors are often used to represent support of LGBTQ+ rights (Taylor). Consequently, the HRC PAC is showing that O’Rourke is a supporter of LQBTQ+ rights. Because the colors in the rainbow are so bright, it makes it unmistakable and eye-catching, showing that O’Rourke too will not miss or forget to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights if he were to become governor. However, by using a rainbow shape instead of a pride flag, the HRC PAC wants to reach a larger audience, not only people who support LGBTQ+ rights. Though the rainbow is a distinctive symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, by writing the words “public servant”, the HRC PAC shows that O’Rourke will not only serve the LGBTQ+ community, but also the general public. This alongside a traditional rainbow shape, rather than a pride flag, seeks to not alienate voters who may not explicitly or comfortably be in support of LGBTQ+ rights.

As the viewers glide their eyes rightward along the image following the text, they can see stars and stripes located at the upper right corner of the advertisement (Human Rights Campaign PAC). As stars and stripes are almost universally synonymous with the image of the American flag, the HRC PAC is legitimizing O’Rourke’s campaign by connecting him to the nation at large. The HRC PAC advocates for all human rights and by invoking the image of the stars and stripes, the HRC PAC gains the attention of those who support not only the Democratic Party, LGBTQ+ rights, or Texas but those who support the nation itself. Using the federal government’s legitimacy and invoking federal patriotism, they are attracting more a more general body of voters. By addressing the nation, the HRC PAC seeks to not alienate other Texas voters, voters who may not associate with either LGBTQ+ rights or as a blue Democrat.

After glancing at the stars and stripes, if viewers shift their eyes to the bottom of the ad, they can see a cut-out image of O’Rourke himself (Human Rights Campaign PAC). More explicitly, by showing an image of O’Rourke, the HRC PAC puts a face to the name and essentially shows voters who Beto O’Rourke is. Oftentimes voters are bombarded with several political advertisements with large text featuring the candidate’s name, yet they do not know what the candidate looks like. By showing the image of O’Rourke himself, the HRC PAC familiarizes voters with his image. More implicitly, the image is a smiling and happy picture of O’Rourke. With this particular portrayal, the HRC PAC creates the impression of O’Rourke as a comforting and more approachable governor, rather than a harsh or uninviting one. Not only that, but in the image, O’Rourke is wearing a simple, light blue, button-up shirt (Human Rights Campaign PAC). It is not a very formal piece of clothing, contrary to a suit and tie, and it makes O’Rourke seem as if he is a simple man and as governor, he will be accessible to the public. Once again, the HRC PAC does not want to show that O’Rourke is a formal politician working for power or money, but rather just a simple public servant who will work in the interests of the voters, not himself.

Though the images in the advertisement are impressive, one cannot ignore the big, bold, white words in the center of the ad (Human Rights Campaign PAC). The word “governor” is in large font and underlined to show not only the impact and power of the governor but to show explicitly what he is running for (Human Rights Campaign PAC). Behind the word, there is a blue outline of the state of Texas itself (Human Rights Campaign PAC). The HRC PAC wants to make O’Rourke’s connection with Texas as explicit as possible to show that he will work for the rights of all Texans. Texans, in contrast to other states have a very large and established sense of state pride with nearly 70% of residents claiming it is the best place to live (Aasen). Therefore, by having the words “Texan Born & Raised”, the HRC PAC invokes that notion of state pride and legitimizes O’Rourke’s connection with Texas. By having his name straight and clearly stated placed in front with the rainbow, stars and stripes, image of Texas, and text in the shows that if O’Rourke is governor, he will support all the implied things in the background. The HRC PAC is stating that LGBTQ+, human, and Texas rights will be the background and the backbone of not only his campaign but also his governorship.

As the gubernatorial election looms and competition is fiercer than ever, the HRC PAC creates an advertisement with saturated use of blue and other colors, packed with imagery of rainbows, Texas, and stars and stripes along with O’Rourke himself, and big, white, bold-font words to emphasize O’Rourke’s connection with a large Texas audience. At first glance, the goal of the ad seems to be just convincing Texans to vote for O’Rourke for governor. However, if we look deeper, it establishes that O’Rourke is an advocate for people’s rights and is first and foremost a Texan public servant over anything else. In political races, where vote can determine a candidate’s success or failure, it is important to connect to an extensive voter base without alienating others. Campaigning, political advertisements, and a candidate’s ability to effectively reach and connect with their people ultimately decide who you are going to vote for.