▪ Abstract In the United States, televised political advertising is the main way that modern
campaigns communicate with voters. Although political scientists have made great progress
in the study of its effects in recent decades, much of that progress has come in the area of
advertising's indirect effects: its impact on learning and the effect of its tone on voter turnout.
This essay reviews what scholars know about how political advertising affects voter
decisions, voter knowledge, and election outcomes. We argue that scholars still have a long …