We’ll know soon enough who won the 2024 general elections for president, Congress and other important positions. But we don’t have to wait a second longer to find out this year’s FactCheck Award winners.
On Election Day, we take a (short) break from the serious work of fact-checking to highlight unusual political ads from the campaign cycle. The prizes, which are just for much needed kicks, are traditionally presented to ads that stood out for various reasons.
For instance, one of the recognized ads was about Bigfoot looking for a man who didn’t want to be found. And another honoree featured people who badly needed more to wear than hospital gowns.
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Steamiest Ad About Contraception
Winner: Progress Action Fund
MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace said this ad about birth control – and voyeurism? – is “an instant finalist for the political ad hall of fame.” We don’t disagree. It’s also a little spicy, and NSFW (not safe for work), so we’ve taken precautions and did not embed it in this story.
It starts with a man and woman kissing in bed, about to do the deed, and they decide to use protection before they go any further. But as the man reaches for a condom from the bedside table, it’s intercepted by a disapproving “Republican congressman,” who somehow has been in the room and observing the whole time. The frightened pair tell the unwelcome onlooker to mind his business and leave, but he doesn’t.
“I won the last election. I’m not going anywhere,” the pretend politician says. “I’m just going to watch and make sure you don’t do anything illegal.” Kinky!
The liberal Progress Action Fund released the ad in July 2023, urging Ohioans to “keep Republicans out of your bedroom” by voting against a ballot measure that critics said aimed to roll back reproductive rights. The group has since created several spinoffs accusing conservative lawmakers of going after abortion, the morning-after pill, Medicare and pornography. Some of those ads are racier, so we won’t be embedding those either.
