Am I seeing campaign ads for the next election already?

[lightningandsnow]

Our local election has been over for less than a week, people. Our next provincial election is in a year.

Two days after the election, I saw this ad on TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqmZRjkeuRQ

Are you serious with this shit? Can you give us at least a week? (Bonus round: find the person of colour in this ad!)

The provincial election will be significantly less thrilling than the local one, anyway. The provincial Liberals and Conservatives have become indistinguishable from each other save for some debate over certain taxes, and the people I want to win (The New Democrats) aren't going to.

[TZ]

1. Thats not quite the case down here.

While there will be talk of 2012 election, the ads really won't start until 2012---January, eleven months before hand but we really do get some breaks in the ads around here. I suspect the shorter than the two years we generally have between elections is why you are seeing an ad already.

[charlie and algernon]

2. don't worry, the 2012 Presidential election begins in 2 months

the early challengers will throw their hats into the ring around January-February, giving us TWO YEARS of their ads. :banghead:

[TZ]

3. Naw, I have NEVER seen a Presidential ad before the beginning of that election year

Because the funding for Presidential campaigns isn't even available for a long time yet. And most people aren't willing to pay for ads out of their personal pockets. You will see ads for certain policies or bills but not presidential ones. Even for Iowa, the first primary, I doubt the first ad will be seen before November of 2011.
My Uncle is a specialist in media and politics I pay attention to this stuff. It only seems like its non stop ads. Frankly I didn't even really begin to see political ads for these midterms on a large scale around here till Labor Day (the traditional kick off)

[charlie and algernon]

4. the 2008 race was an 18 month affair

Yeah, they won't appear in the DC-Baltimore Metro market until our primaries roll around, but they'll be all over the 24 hr cable news channels.

[rurallib]

5. I expect issue ads to be running day after the election.

and I expect with no limits on those, i expect there will be tons of them. And while they will not be candidate specific, I expect that most of them will be easily identifiable to a party and possibly to a candidate.
And Iowa is already being infested with Repub candidates. I expect there will be some early ads lobbed up, especially by Romney who will be literally trying to buy the election.