Mitch Perry
Aiming at driving black voters to the polls to vote on down-ballot races, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is now airing radio ads featuring Barack Obama and Michelle Obama in Florida’s congressional Districts 7 and 13, two districts with a significant African-American population.
This DCCC radio advertising campaign begins Thursday and runs until next Monday, Nov. 7 in the Orlando and Tampa markets. The DCCC says the ads will run on hip-hop, R&B, and urban contemporary radio stations, in order to target voters young and old. In Orlando, the campaign will run the maximum number of spots on four different African-American radio stations.
“Each and every voice will make a difference in this high-stakes election, and this radio advertising effort courtesy of Barack and Michelle Obama is a critical part of the plan for House Democrats to pick up seats in Florida on Election Day,” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan. “We have long recognized the need to engage critical Democratic base voters, including African-Americans, Latinos, and millennials, and I am thankful that the Obamas are urging the American people to turn out early and strongly in Florida and key districts across the country.”
Democrat Stephanie Murphy is facing GOP incumbent John Mica in District 7, while Charlie Crist is attempting to bring the CD 13 seat into the Democratic column for the first time in several generations against Republican David Jolly.
There has been considerable discussion that black voters in Florida are voting in lower numbers to date than in 2008 and 2012, when Obama was on the ballot. Most observers believed Hillary Clinton would never be able to match those historic numbers, but with Florida looking to be a dead-even race (the RealClearPolitics shows Donald Trump to have a narrow lead), the campaign needs to do everything it can to bring out its base voters.
In CD 13, Jolly is making an appeal to black voters specifically, running ads criticizing Crist for his previous incarnation as “Chain Gang Charlie,” when he pushed for aggressive treatment of prisoners.
Here are the scripts for the radio ads:
FLORIDA’s 7th SCRIPT:
Michelle Obama: This election is about more than the White House. It’s also about electing leaders to Congress who care as much as we do about our children’s future.
Announcer: Stand up and be counted. Cast your ballot early and show that your vote matters. Early voting in Orange County is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day through Sunday, and in Seminole County 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day through Sunday.
Vote today for Democrats all the way down the ballot.
SCRIPT ONE:
Announcer: Our future matters. So, make sure your voice is heard, Nov. 8th.
Barack Obama: We have the opportunity to build on all the progress we’ve made, to fight for the issues you and I believe in. I’m doing everything I can to make sure our Democrats all around the country have what they need to win, and that’s why I need you. I need you to vote. I need you to make sure your friends, family, and neighbors vote.
Announcer: Continue President Obama’s legacy. Show up and be counted. Vote Democrats for Congress on Tuesday.
SCRIPT TWO:
Michelle Obama:
This election is about more than the White House. This election is about planning for our children’s future. It’s about electing a Congress that will have our interests at heart. Support the issues that matter to you, work with our president, and continue my husband’s legacy, building on the progress we’ve made.
On Tuesday, I want you to vote. I want you to make sure that your friends, families, and neighbors vote. Vote for your future. Vote for your children’s future. Vote Democrat all the way down the ballot.
