NEWS AND OPINION:

Bobbleheads — those nodding figurines of noteworthy people — have expanded into politics. Here’s the official “I Voted” sticker bobble.

The familiar red, white and blue lapel symbols are now available in jiggling 2-inch and 4-inch versions from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame in Milwaukee.

“In celebration of the historic 2024 election, we are excited to unveil the first ‘I Voted’ sticker bobbles,” said Phil Sklar, the museum’s co-founder.

“The patriotic decal has been a symbol of Election Day for decades and we are confident this bobble will be a must-have for voters of all ages,” he said in a written statement to Inside the Beltway.

“It’s unclear where the first voting sticker debuted as they’ve been regionally available through local businesses and organizations since after World War II. The Miami Herald mentions the distribution of an ’I Have Voted’ sticker at Miami polls as early as 1950 to remind others of their civic duty, and another article from 1982 notes small businesses offering Election Day discounts and freebies for those donning the sticker in Fort Lauderdale,” the museum’s brief history of the sticker said.

“On the other side of the country, the Phoenix Board of Realtors claimed that they designed and distributed the first ’I Voted Today’ sticker for poll visitors in 1985 in an effort to get better acquainted with the community and promote voter turnout in favor of a freeway expansion query that was on the ballot that year,” the history said.

“Janet Boudreau, who used to run the election-supply company Independent Tabulation, designed a version with an American flag blowing in the wind in 1987, in acknowledgment of the lack of public awareness of Election Day. By late 1988, the stickers were available in all 50 states. Political scientists say the sticker represents an attempt to bring back a sense of community that was once associated with voting,” the history added.

The vote sticker bobbles, meanwhile, are individually numbered and available for preorder through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store.

Find them at bobbleheadhall.com

And yes, there are also Donald Trump bobbleheads — available with or without a bandaged ear.

THE BIAS CONTINUES

That old liberal media bias lives on … and even worsens.

A new analysis from the Media Research Center finds that broadcast evening news coverage of the 2024 presidential race has been “the most lopsided in history,” according to a concise analysis by Rich Noyes, contributing editor to Newsbusters.org, a conservative media watchdog.

“Since July, ABC, CBS and NBC have treated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris to 78% positive coverage, while these same networks have pummeled former Republican President Donald Trump with 85% negative coverage,” Mr. Noyes wrote.

“The difference in coverage between the two candidates is far greater than in 2016, when both Donald Trump and … Hillary Clinton received mostly negative coverage (91% negative for Trump, vs. 79% negative for Clinton). It’s even greater than in 2020, when Joe Biden was treated to 66% positive coverage, vs. 92% negative for Trump,” the analyst said.

How much coverage are we talking about here?

Since July, the three networks have swamped their audiences with more than 230 minutes of airtime — virtually all of it negative — about personal controversies surrounding the former president. Coverage centered on Ms. Harris was loaded with enthusiastic quotes from pro-Harris voters, complete with a positive “vibe.”

The analysis was based on reviews of 660 stories focused on the presidential campaign that aired on the ABC, CBS or NBC evening newscasts from July 21 (the day President Biden ended his candidacy) through Oct. 25, including weekends.

The total coverage added up to 24 hours, 15 minutes, almost evenly divided among the three networks: 8 hours, 20 minutes on NBC; 8 hours, 13 minutes on CBS; and 7 hours, 42 minutes on ABC.

Find the complete study at Newsbusters.org.

FOXIFIED

In the week of Oct. 21-27, Fox News drew the largest audiences in the cable realm, drawing a daily average of 2.8 million viewers in prime time and 1.7 million viewers during daytime hours, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Again, “The Five” was the most popular program of all with an average daily audience of 3.7 million viewers, followed by “Jesse Watters Primetime” (3.6 million viewers), “The Ingraham Angle” (2.9 million) and “Special Report With Bret Baier” (2.7 million viewers).

Special applause goes to “Gutfeld” as late-night host Greg Gutfeld drew an average daily audience of 3 million, once again topping such competition as CBS’s” The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (2.2 million) and NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (1.2 million).

DEMOCRATS STRIKE BACK

The Democratic National Committee revealed Tuesday that it was launching a “seven-figure paid media campaign across some of the country’s most iconic and most read lifestyle publications.”

The outreach appears to be aimed at popular everyday spots as well. New audio ads pushing Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic message will also appear on premium streaming services plus digital ads in high-traffic locations such as nail salons, shopping malls and transit centers.

“The multi-media ‘I Will Vote’ campaign will reach tens of millions of readers in battleground states and battleground districts in the final week of the election, mobilizing key demographics within the coalition that will elect Vice President Harris, Governor Tim Walz, and Democrats up and down the ballot in November,” the committee said in a statement.

Which leads Inside the Beltway to wonder whether Republican messages will also get such a popular showcase.

POLL DU JOUR

• 29% of U.S. adults have a great deal of confidence that the 2024 presidential election will be held fairly.

• 18% have quite a bit of confidence that the election will be held fairly.

• 24% have a moderate amount of confidence in a fair election.

• 13% have only a little confidence.

• 9% have no confidence at all.

• 6% are not sure about the matter.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,615 U.S. adults conducted online Oct. 19-22.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.