Your feeds are packed with campaign ads right now, and each one is built to move you.
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll use Semblen’s new political ad tracker, which runs 2026 Senate and governor race ads from Facebook, Instagram and YouTube through an analysis of rhetorical techniques, alongside the FEC money behind Senate races. With 9,529 ads analyzed so far, there’s plenty to work with.
DATE: Monday, October 26
TIME: 12 PM EST
LOCATION. Online. Register for the Zoom meeting here.
In this session, participants will enter their ZIP code to pull up the ads on their own ballot, then practice naming the classic moves: loaded language, name calling, glittering generalities, appeals to fear. We’ll look at which charged words show up most across races, and on both sides of the aisle — “liberal,” “MAGA,” “extremist” and “radical” all appear in dozens of ads. We’ll also test the tool’s claim checker, which shows what cited sources say about what an ad asserts, and talk about what an automated tool can and can’t tell you. You’ll leave with a sharper eye for persuasion, whoever is doing the persuading. No partisanship, no lectures, just better tools for thinking.
VISIT THE WEBSITE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MIDTERM CHALLENGE: https://semblen.com/challenge/2026-10-26
PRESENTER: Jason LaCarrubba is the founder of Semblen. He has worked in software since 1999, including engineering roles at Spotify, The Knot and Compass, and as head of engineering at AudiencePlus. He has worked on Semblen full time since September 2025.