Horn tries to tie Russell to Fallin
In her latest attempt to link U.S. Rep. Steve Russell to the state’s woes — and its unpopular governor — Democrat Kendra Horn launched a television ad this week that prominently features Gov. Mary Fallin and sobering statistics about Oklahoma.
“Steve Russell promised to address the rising cost of health care and funding for our schools,” a narrator says, as a photo of Russell and Fallin laughing flashes across the screen. “Instead, Steve Russell took $1 million from lobbyists, corporate PACs, Big Oil and party bosses in Washington, doing their bidding while Oklahomans come in dead last.”
The ad, titled “Broken Promises,” reiterates many themes of Horn’s campaign. It centers on health care and education, her most talked-about issues, and ties Russell, a Republican, to a state government firmly controlled by fellow Republicans. Russell served one term in the Oklahoma Senate from 2009 to 2013.
“Kendra Horn is desperate. That’s why she spent so much of her Hollywood bankrolled budget stoking fears about issues that are usually handled by the State Legislature," said Allison Smith, a deputy campaign manager for Russell, referring to a fundraiser in Beverly Hills that Horn attended last week.
The Horn campaign will spend at least $44,390 airing the ad on Oklahoma City stations over the next week, according to public documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission.
It was not the first time Horn has gone negative in her campaign against Russell. Last month, she aired an ad on health care, looking into the camera and saying, “Steve Russell, the Washington politician, went along with Republicans in Congress, gutting health care and making it even more expensive.”
The Russell campaign also released a TV ad. It opens with storefront signs — “We’re Hiring,” “Come In, We’re Open" — and positive economic indicators. “To keep factories revving and wages rising, we need to invest in America, not more government,” Russell’s deep voice says.
The ad refers to the congressman as "Col. Russell" and features grainy video clips of his time at war. Russell is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. Russell's ad shares one detail in common with Horn’s campaign messaging: a promise to protect coverage for pre-existing conditions.
A narrator says, “Steve Russell has affordable health care solutions where it’s our choice, not the government’s.”
Russell’s campaign spent $11,017 to broadcast the ad on several cable stations through Oct. 28, according to an FCC report.