Sure, Mayor Adrian Fenty might have snappy TV ads running on the Food Network and ESPN (amongst other channels), but mayoral challenger Vince Gray isn’t about to be left out of the ad war.
Today, Gray’s campaign rolled out two ads, strikingly different in both tone and the medium they use to reach D.C. voters. The first commercial, which started airing on local radio stations this morning, is a feel-good ad, playing up Gray’s campaign promises and his pledge to unite the city. The second, a web video, goes straight for Fenty’s jugular, repeatedly featuring a clip of the interaction between the mayor and a disappointed resident to negatively intone against the incumbent. The 30-second radio clip is titled “Only One” (as in there’s only one choice — Gray), while the minute-long YouTube video has been dubbed “I didn’t do the job I’m supposed to,” after the admission Fenty made during the taped conversation with an unhappy D.C. woman.
Martin Austermuhle