I wasn’t really talking about this particular ad - my point is that now, not 2 months before an election, is when people soak in information and adopt their opinions.
I’m sure plenty of research has been done to counter this theory . . . I just think the argument is stronger in a vacuum than in a loud concert hall.
Republicans are wrong when they say it’s pointless to campaign until late in the season. (That’s partially a subconscious rationalization for inaction.) What happens in the months, and the year or two, before the election shapes the way in which voters see the election. That’s why it’s so important to campaign now. The campaign is permanent, not some neat thing that begins on Labor Day every other year.