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92 ads analyzed · 49 use a rhetorical technique, most often glittering generalities and loaded language.
The words doing the persuading
From the Nunn side · Paid for by Iowans for Zach Nunn“…She put politics ahead of Iowa girls who want a fair shot and a safe locker room.
Iowa daughters deserve better. Protect women's sports.”Glittering GeneralitiesSee this ad →
From the Garriott side · Paid for by Sarah for Iowa“As an Iowa mom, I will always put families and kids first.”Glittering GeneralitiesSee this ad →
Zach Nunn (Republican) and Sarah Trone Garriott (Democrat) are the nominees for Iowa's 3rd congressional district in the November 3, 2026 general election. Zach Nunn is the incumbent. By their latest FEC reports, Zach Nunn's campaign had raised $6.1 million (through October 14, 2026) and Sarah Trone Garriott's campaign $8.1 million (through October 14, 2026). Outside groups have reported $1.3 million for Zach Nunn and $4.8 million against; $2.0 million for Sarah Trone Garriott and $6.5 million against. Semblen has analyzed 92 ads in this race; 49 used at least one rhetorical technique, most often glittering generalities and loaded language.
Zach Nunn (REP, incumbent), Sarah Trone Garriott (DEM).
1 other filed with the FEC; any ads they ran are below. 92 ads analyzed, 49 with at least one technique in the copy.
Newest first. The paid-for-by line is the advertiser's own filing. Updated 2026-10-27.
Also on every Iowa ballot: 1 statewide ballot measure →The ballot wording and the official arguments, read for rhetorical techniques.
How to vote in Iowa
From Iowa's official election office. Each line links to the official page it came from.
Registration
Register by Mon, Oct 19 (5 p.m. 15 days before; mail counts if postmarked by the 15th day; DOT/agency forms by 11:59 p.m.). Same-day registration: at your correct polling place, with proof of identity and residence (or an attester) (passed)Source: sos.iowa.gov ↗Source: legis.iowa.gov ↗
Anyone can vote by mail; request a ballot by Mon, Oct 19 (received by county auditor by 5 p.m., 15 days before); return it by Tue, Nov 3 (received by county auditor by close of polls (8 p.m.); cannot be dropped at polling place) (passed)Source: sos.iowa.gov ↗
ID required (IA license/non-op ID, US passport, military/veteran ID, tribal ID; or Voter ID Card); else attester or provisionalSource: legis.iowa.gov ↗
Checked October 6, 2026. Rules can change; confirm with the official site before you go.
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
A person reads every report and fixes errors the same day.
Got a political text?
Paste a campaign text message you’ve received. Semblen marks the persuasion techniques in its wording and lists the factual claims it makes. Take your name out first: what you paste is analyzed and kept like any text.
Findings
As of 2026-10-27. Counts are of distinct ads; the same text run many times is one ad.
Ads analyzed
92 · started running between 2026-06-02 and 2026-10-26
$200,000–268,466 on all ads, $102,900–135,016 on flagged ads · Meta reports ranges; these are the sums of their ends
Example
“I will always put families and kids first” — Glittering Generalities, paid for by Sarah for Iowa
· the flagged ad with the highest reported spend that shows the most common technique
A small box with these findings and the newest ads, updated as new ads are analyzed. Free for newsrooms, blogs and campaigns alike; it links back here.
Follow Sarah Trone Garriott in office
Sarah Trone Garriott won. Get what Sarah Trone Garriott says in office by email, analyzed for rhetorical techniques, once sworn in. And an email if the result changes: a recount or a call reversed. One-click unsubscribe.
Confirming also makes your free Semblen account, with a 14-day Pro trial. No card.
Each side is the campaign plus the groups backing it. How a group is placed is explained below the table.
Side
Ads
With at least one technique
Most common
Nunn (R)
45
34 of 45 (76%)
Glittering Generalities (20), Appeal to Fear (13), Loaded Language (12)
Nunn's campaign
39
28 of 39 (72%)
Glittering Generalities (19), Appeal to Fear (8), Loaded Language (8)
3 groups backing Nunn
6
6 of 6
Appeal to Fear (5), Loaded Language (4), Name Calling (2)
Garriott (D)
38
10 of 38 (26%)
Loaded Language (7), Appeal to Fear (2), Glittering Generalities (2)
Garriott's campaign
24
7 of 24 (29%)
Loaded Language (4), Name Calling (2), Appeal to Fear (1)
6 groups backing Garriott
14
3 of 14 (21%)
Loaded Language (3), Appeal to Fear (1), Bandwagon Appeal (1)
Not placed on a side (5 sponsors)
9
5 of 9
Glittering Generalities (3), Loaded Language (2), Bandwagon Appeal (1)
Read this before comparing the sides. Ads that attack an opponent use these techniques far more often than ads that introduce a candidate, whoever runs them, so the side running more attack ads shows a higher share. A technique is about wording, not about whether an ad is true. These are online ads only (Meta and YouTube), not television.
Garriottreported spending to oppose Nunn in the general election (FEC)
1
0 of 1
How a group is placed: by its own filings with the Federal Election Commission. A group is with a candidate when it reported spending to support that candidate, or to oppose the other one in the general election. The parties' own committees are with their nominee. Spending against a candidate in a primary places a group nowhere, and neither does our reading of its ads: a group with no such filing is listed as not placed. The sponsor table gives the reason for each.
Decide what counts
Not everyone would call every technique a problem. Untick the ones you'd call ordinary persuasion and the count updates.
53% of the 92 ads here use at least one of the techniques ticked below (49 ads).
Leaving out the softer ones (loaded language, glittering generalities, slogans, exaggeration, repetition): 32% of ads.
The words doing the work
The words that show up most in phrases our model flagged as loaded language or name calling in this race's ads, by number of ads.
extremein 3 ads· e.g. “extreme and radical”, “too extreme”
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Money in this race
From FEC filings for 2025–26. Outside spending is money a group spends on its own about a candidate — TV and online ads, mail, canvassing. It is not a donation to the campaign, and the candidate does not control it. Supporting means it was spent to help that candidate win; Opposing means it was spent to defeat them, usually on attack ads. Groups report it within 24 or 48 hours as the election nears. Raised is the campaign's own fundraising, as of its latest quarterly report. Largest donors come from each outside spender's own FEC receipts, with each donor's share of its itemized receipts; donors under $100,000 are not named. People are shown with the employer and occupation they reported. A donor that is itself a political committee is shown with its own largest donors. Companies and nonprofits don't report their funders to the FEC, so the trail ends there, and the page says so.
HMP— $2.7M opposing NunnLargest donors:
HOUSE MAJORITY FORWARD $93.7M (39%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Reid G Hoffman $8.5M (4%), Greylock Partners, Partner; ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FUND $5.0M (2%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Fred Eychaner $5.0M (2%), Retired; UNITED ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ISSUES FUND $4.8M (2%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC)WITH HONOR FUND III, INC.— $762K supporting NunnLargest donors:
WITH HONOR FUND II, INC. $6.8M (95%)AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L E— $604K opposing NunnLargest donors:
AFSCME PEOPLE DISTRICT COUNCIL 37 $838K (34%)VOTEVETS— $360K opposing Nunn
· 1 ad on this pageLargest donors:
GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS PAC $6.9M (20%); GLOBAL IMPACT SOCIAL WELFARE FUND $3.0M (9%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); BETTER WORLD CIVIC TRUST $1.6M (5%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); DEMOCRACY MATTERS $1.4M (4%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Joshua Bekenstein $1.2M (3%), Bain Capital, InvestorELECT DEMOCRATIC WOMEN— $349K opposing NunnLargest donors:
URBANOWICZ, WENDY $1.4M (43%); PRO-CHOICE DEMOCRATS $500K (16%) (its largest donors: DURKIN, THOMAS $191K; ELECT DEMOCRATIC WOMEN $115K); PRO-CHOICE WOMEN $465K (15%) (its largest donors: WILLIAMS, JERRY SR $285K)and 20 more
$8.1M through 2026-10-14individuals $7.2M · PACs $638K · party $19K · candidate's own money, incl. loans $120 · from the candidate's other committees $133K · cash on hand $1.2M
NO GOING BACK PAC INC.— $3.9M opposing GarriottCLF— $2.3M opposing Garriott
· 2 ads on this pageLargest donors:
AMERICAN ACTION NETWORK $64.3M (25%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Elon Musk $30.0M (12%), Space Exploration Technologies Corp., CEO; Timothy Mellon $21.0M (8%), Self-Employed, Investments; Miriam Adelson $10.0M (4%), Adelson Drug Clinic, Physician; Paul E Singer $8.0M (3%), EMC, PresidentPROJECT 218— $996K supporting GarriottLargest donors:
DEMOCRACY MATTERS $5.9M (50%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); Keith Behner $250K (2%), Retired; Amos Hostetter $250K (2%), Retired; James Millstein $250K (2%), Millstein & CO., Consultant; Samuel Walton $250K (2%), Restoration Works, ExecutiveCFFE PAC— $701K supporting Garriott
· 2 ads on this pageLargest donors:
PIVOTAL VENTURES $2.0M (56%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); OPPORTUNITY ACTION FUND $750K (21%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS PAC $250K (7%); GREEN ADVOCACY PROJECT $250K (7%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC); CHILDREN'S EQUITY FUND $100K (3%) (an organization: its own funders aren't reported to the FEC)AMERICA PAC— $274K opposing Garriott
· 3 ads on this pageLargest donors:
Elon Musk $50.3M (100%), Space Exploration Technologies Corp., CEOand 15 more
Bundled through PACs
$160K through 10 PACs · FEC bulk data of 2026-11-01JSTREETPAC— $57K from 55 giftsLobbyist/registrant PACWELCOMEPAC— $33K from 10 giftsSWING LEFT— $27K from 12 giftsEMILYS LIST— $12K from 6 giftsZINC COLLECTIVE PAC— $11K from 4 giftsand 5 more
109 PACs gave directly — alphabetical; the legal limit is $5,000 per election
A PLEASANT PENINSULA PAC $4,000
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AAJ PAC) $7,500
AMERICAN DEFENSE AND MILITARY PAC $3,000
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L E $5,000
AMERICAN INNOVATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AMI PAC) $1,000
AMERICAN MOSAIC PAC $1,000
AMERICANS MAKING OPPORTUNITIES PAC $1,000
AMERIPAC: THE FUND FOR A GREATER AMERICA $5,000
BEEPAC (BUILDING ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PAC) $4,000
BEYOND THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS PAC $3,000
BLUE HEN FEDERAL PAC $5,000
BLUE MAJORITY PAC $4,000
BLUE MOMENTUM PAC $5,000
BRIDGE THE GAP PAC $3,000
BUILD THE BENCH PAC $3,500
CA LUV PAC (CALIFORNIA LEADERSHIP UNITED FOR VICTORY PAC) $10K
CARPENTERS LEGISLATIVE IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS AND JOINERS $10K
COMMITTEE FOR A DEMOCRATIC FUTURE $2,000
COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA - COPE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE $5,000
D.R.I.V.E. - DEM, REP, IND VOTER ED (THE PAC OF THE INT'L BRHD OF TEAMSTERS) $5,000
DE COLORES PAC $1,000
DEFEND THE VOTE $7,500
DEMOCRACY SUMMER LEADERSHIP PAC $10K
DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY FUND $7,500
DEMOCRATIC TURNOUT PROJECT PAC $1,000
DEMOCRATIC VALUES $1,000
DEMOCRATIC WOMEN OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY $500
DSCC/EMILY'S LIST COMMITTEE $5,000
ELECT DEMOCRATIC WOMEN $5,000
ELECT DEMS NOW PAC $1,000
EMILIA SYKES FOR CONGRESS $1,000
EMILYS LIST $5,000
END CITIZENS UNITED $1,500
EQUALITY PAC $2,500
EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY ACTION FUND, INC. PAC (EVERYTOWN PAC) $1,500
FAIR SHOT PAC $10K
FIGHT FOR PROGRESS PAC $1,000
FIGHTING BACK PAC $3,000
FLIP THE CONGRESS PAC $10K
FOSTERING PROGRESS PAC $1,000
FRONTLINE FIGHTERS PAC $5,000
FUTURE FORUM PAC $2,500
HMP $10K
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN PAC $9,550
IN THIS TOGETHER PAC $5,000
INLAND EMPIRE STRIKES PAC; THE $1,000
INNOVATION FOR GOOD PAC $5,000
INT'L ASSOCIATION OF BRIDGE, STRUCTURAL, ORNAMENTAL AND REINFORCING IRON WORKERS (IPAL) $5,000
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SHEET METAL, AIR, RAIL AND TRANSPORTATION WORKERS POLITICAL ACTION LEAGUE $10K
INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $5,000
IRISH AMERICAN DEMOCRATS $350
JAMIE RASKIN FOR CONGRESS $2,000
JEFFRIES FOR CONGRESS $4,000
JOBS, OPPORTUNITIES AND EDUCATION PAC (JOE-PAC) $10K
JUSTICE LEAGUE PAC $1,000
KATHERINE CLARK FOR CONGRESS $4,000
KUSTER FOR CONGRESS, INC $2,000
LA BAMBA PAC $1,500
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY INNOVATION SERVICE PAC $1,000
LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS ACTION FUND $5,990
LIFTOFF PAC $2,500
LLOYD DOGGETT CAMPAIGN FUND $2,000
LOBO PAC $1,500
LORI TRAHAN FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE $2,000
MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERS $10K
MAKING A DIFFERENCE PAC $1,000
MELTON FOR IOWA $400
MIDWEST VALUES PAC $2,500
MITTEN PAC $5,000
MOMS FED UP $10K
NANCY PELOSI FOR CONGRESS $2,000
NATIONAL POSTAL MAIL HANDLERS UNION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1,000
NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION $5,000
NEW DEMOCRAT COALITION ACTION FUND $7,500
NEW POLITICS NEXT MISSION FUND $6,061
NO SURRENDER FUND $10K
NORTH AMERICA'S BUILDING TRADES UNIONS POLITICAL EDUCATIONAL FUND $1,000
NOT SO OLD FASHIONED PAC $1,000
NRDC ACTION FUND INC. $1,000
OVERSIGHT ACTION FUND $2,000
PAC OF APPLES $2,000
PAC TO THE FUTURE $5,000
PATRIOT PAC $2,500
PETE AGUILAR FOR CONGRESS $4,000
PROTECT DEMOCRACY NOW $1,000
PUGET PAC $1,500
SAVE DEMOCRACY PAC $5,000
SCHAKOWSKY FOR CONGRESS $1,000
SCHNEIDER FOR CONGRESS $2,000
SHORE PAC $1,000
SMALL TOWN PAC $5,000
STANTON FOR CONGRESS $1,000
STORM PAC $1,000
SUNFLOWER SEEDS PAC $2,000
SUPPORTING HOUSE PROBLEM SOLVERS - SHP PAC $3,500
THE JUNO FUND $10K
THE MAJORITY RULES PAC $1,500
THE NEXT 50 PAC $10K
THERESA GREENFIELD FOR IOWA $2,000
TOMORROW PAC $1,000
TRI-STATE MAXED-OUT WOMEN $2,500
UA UNION PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS VOTE! PAC (UNITED ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICES OF THE PLUMBING & PIPEFITTING INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA) $5,000
UAW - V - CAP (UAW VOLUNTARY COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM) 'INT'L UNION UNITED AUTOMOBILE AEROSPACE & AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WORKERS OF AMERICA UAW $10K
Paid for by CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUNDfrom 2026-10-26spend $0–991,000–1,999 impressions
We expect politicians to lie. But a pastor?
Sarah said, “I’ll vote to lower taxes.” But Sarah Trone Garriott votes against lower taxes.
And she lies again.
Sarah said, “I oppose letting men in women’s locker rooms.” Sarah’s record is clear. Votes allowing men in girls’ locker rooms. Boys in girls’ sports. Sex changes for kids.
So why would a pastor lie? Because Sarah’s a politician. And she’ll say just about anything.
Card Stacking: Presents a one-sided, unqualified characterization of a voting record that contradicts her stated position, omitting context or the actual bills. Flagged: “Votes allowing men in girls’ locker rooms.”.
Appeal to Fear: Evokes a threat to girls' safety and privacy to provoke anxiety about the candidate. Flagged: “men in girls’ locker rooms”.
Loaded Language: Uses a stark, emotionally charged framing of gender-affirming care for minors without specifics. Flagged: “Sex changes for kids.”.
Name Calling: Uses the label 'politician' as a derogatory term to discredit Sarah rather than address her claims.
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: Overstates by claiming she would say virtually anything, an absolute smear unsupported by evidence. Flagged: “she’ll say just about anything”.
Sarah Trone Garriott won. Get what Sarah Trone Garriott says in office by email, analyzed for rhetorical techniques, once sworn in. And an email if the result changes: a recount or a call reversed. One-click unsubscribe.
Confirming also makes your free Semblen account, with a 14-day Pro trial. No card.
Paid for by Iowans for Zach Nunnfrom 2026-10-224 variantsspend $0–3965,100–8,996 impressions
🚨 IOWA: Sarah Trone Garriott is too extreme. She is NOT for common-sense solutions. Zach Nunn delivers for Iowa and puts our families first.
Vote Zach Nunn for Congress.
Name Calling: Labels the opponent 'too extreme' to discredit her rather than addressing her positions.
Loaded Language: Uses the emotionally positive phrase 'common-sense solutions' and a stark negation to frame the opponent as unreasonable without specifics.
Glittering Generalities: Offers vague, positive claims about delivering and putting families first without any concrete detail. Flagged: “delivers for Iowa and puts our families first”.
Paid for by Iowans for Zach Nunnfrom 2026-10-224 variantsspend $400–79618,000–25,996 impressions
WATCH: Iowans from both sides of the aisle agree that Zach Nunn gets results. He’s a common-sense leader who puts Iowa ahead of party politics and delivers for our families every day.
🇺🇸 Vote Zach Nunn for Congress
Bandwagon Appeal: Implies that because Iowans across the political spectrum agree, Nunn must be effective, which pressures the viewer to conform. Flagged: “Iowans from both sides of the aisle agree that Zach Nunn gets results”.
Glittering Generalities: Uses vague, positive, noble-sounding phrases with no specific accomplishments. Flagged: “common-sense leader who puts Iowa ahead of party politics”.
Paid for by Stand with Crypto Alliance, Inc. from 2026-10-215 variantsspend $500–99553,100–61,995 impressions
North Carolina: life is getting more expensive, but good crypto policy helps families get ahead.
Good crypto policy means more jobs and more innovation stay right here in Iowa.
Tell Rep. Zach Nunn to keep standing with crypto: (202) 225-5476
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Sarah for Iowafrom 2026-10-196 variantsspend $400–99420,000–25,994 impressions
Donald Trump just attacked my faith from the Oval Office.
I'm Sarah Garriott. I'm a Lutheran minister running to flip Iowa's third congressional district, and my opponent is so scared.
He's got Trump pouring millions into his race to run attack ads. And he's got the president lying about me.
We can't let lies and big money corruption win. I need your help today.
Will you donate today to help us flip IA-03?
Paid for by STARKFREEDOM PACfrom 2026-10-19spend $0–99100–999 impressions
What will it take for Congress to end the Iran war?
The House has voted on it six times this year. Ashley Hinson voted no every time.
Here's Trump on Aug 17, 2024: "Under Trump, we will have no more wars, no more disruptions, and we will have prosperity and peace for all."
On Sept 24, the Senate voted 49 to 50 against pulling US forces out of the war with Iran.
Trump lied, and nobody has to fall for it again.
Thomas Laehn, Libertarian, is on the Iowa ballot for US Senate. A vote for him isn't a vote for the Democrat.
Vote on principle, send Trump a direct message, and give the Senate gridlock so Republicans get the chance to get their house in order and clear out the corruption.
Here's what the video is counting.
March 5: failed 212 to 219. April 16: failed 213 to 214. May 14: failed 212 to 212.
June 3, July 23 and Sept 15, the House passed it. Hinson voted no on all six.
On Sept 15, two other Iowa Republicans, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, voted yes. She didn't.
Six days after the last vote, she called for a quick end to the war.
I can't square that. Can you?
Laehn says the Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war.
Vote Thomas Laehn.
If you want to hold the Republicans accountable for their actions, support StarkFreedom.org.
Name Calling: Labels a named political figure as a liar to discredit him rather than addressing specific claims. Flagged: “Trump lied”.
Loaded Language: The charged word 'corruption' and the 'get their house in order' framing evoke a negative emotional reaction instead of citing specific facts.
Paid for by Iowans for Zach Nunnfrom 2026-10-198 variantsspend $1,500–2,29272,000–95,092 impressions
🚨Zach Nunn led the passage of over 95 bipartisan bills, from expanding rural housing to bringing down fuel costs.
Iowa comes first, NOT politics. Vote Nunn for Congress.
An ad is on this page because its own "Paid for by" line is a campaign in this race; or it comes from a national Senate group and ran mostly in IA; or it ran mostly in IA and names a candidate — unless its sponsor is a campaign for some other office. Ads from outside groups appear alongside the campaigns' own.
Campaigns run one text as many separate ads. Identical text from the same sponsor is one card here, marked with its number of variants.
A technique is a specific rhetorical move in the wording, found by our model and explained in one line. It is not a claim that the ad is false.
Claims are checked when a reader asks: press "Check this ad's claims" on a card. Running a check and seeing its verdicts are part of Semblen Pro, because each check costs money to run; anyone can see which claims an ad makes. The ten ads with the most money behind them in each race are checked ahead of time.
Claim verdicts say what the cited sources say. A verdict that an ad is wrong or misleading is shown only when it cites an established fact-checker or an institutional record — Congress, a federal agency, a court — and its confidence is not low; a weaker one is not shown at all. Each verdict shows what it rests on and how confident it is. If we got one wrong, press Disagree: a verdict that readers dispute and no one defends comes down.
Video ads come from the campaigns' own YouTube channels; the transcript is analyzed. Meta ads are analyzed on their text; their video and images are not, yet.