Ad Watch: O’Connor ad focuses on foe’s donors
“Avalanche,” a 30-second TV commercial produced by the campaign of Democrat Danny O’Connor for Congress.
THE AD:
WHERE TO SEE IT: Online, on television and cable in Zanesville and Columbus
VIDEO: A list of donors is cut with images of Republican Troy Balderson, who was elected to the U.S. House from Ohio’s 12th District in an August special election and is running again in November to try to keep the seat. The screen then cuts to O’Connor speaking to a group, then addressing the camera directly before concluding with an image of O’Connor holding a child.
SCRIPT: Male announcer: “If you want to know who Troy Balderson works for, follow the money. An avalanche of corporate cash. Big banks. Drug companies. The insurance giants. Balderson backs a massive tax giveaway for them, by slashing Medicare and Social Security for us.
O’Connor: “Money is one of the biggest problems that we see in politics right now. We need to be investing in our communities, not in corporations. I’m a grassroots candidate. I’m going to be an independent voice for this district. I’m Danny O’Connor and I approve this message.”
ANALYSIS: For his first ad after the special election, O’Connor returns to a familiar refrain, one echoed by Democrats running across the country: That the Republicans are beholden to special-interest money. O’Connor and a handful of other Democrats, meanwhile, say they refuse corporate money, and it’s true that their money is overwhelmingly from individuals.
That said, there are donations that deserve scrutiny. O’Connor has taken money from unions, including the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades PAC, the United Auto Workers and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. He’s taken money from gay rights groups such as the Human Rights Campaign PAC, abortion rights groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice America and environmental groups such as the League of Conservation Voters. These are not corporations, but they are groups with specific legislative agendas.
O’Connor can make a credible claim that individual donors have dominated his campaign: Of the $5.5 million in contributions he’d received as of Aug. 27, nearly $5.3 million was from individuals. About $263,425 was from campaigns or other committees.
By contrast, Balderson had raised $1.77 million as of Aug. 27. Of that, $1 million was from individuals, nearly $630,000 was from committees, corporations and other PACs, and $25,000 was from his party.