The Most Unforgettable Campaign Ads of the Year…for Better or Worse

It is over. You can uncover your eyes, put down your political shield and finally breathe. The 2018 electoral cycle has concluded.

From local races to the White House, campaigns give creatives the opportunity to turn their best ideas into heartfelt, patriotic, humorous and sometimes jaw-dropping advertisements. For better or worse, here are a few of the most unforgettable from the 2018 campaign cycle:

Sibling Rivalry

A few things said of Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar in a single campaign ad run by his opponent Dr. David Brill are “he doesn’t have your interests at heart,” “Paul is absolutely not working for his district,” and “he is not listening to you.” However, those were not Brill’s words, but those of Gosar’s own brothers and sisters, who gave their own reasons why their brother should not be in Congress. That is going to make for an interesting conversation at the Thanksgiving table, especially since Gosar fought off his challenger and was re-elected to his seat.

See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZuayQFD51w

D.A.R.E. to Run for Senate in West Virginia

Ex-con and U.S. Senate candidate Don Blankenship is not a DEA Agent, nor is he a health educator who set out to tell of the dangers of illegal narcotics. However, he did feel the need to warn West Virginians about Kentucky Senator, also Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell aka “Cocaine Mitch.”
Yes. Don. Did.
The best part of this ad is that Don states that if you vote for him, you’re “voting for the sake of the kids.” Don lost his primary bid to challenge incumbent Senator Joe Manchin, so I guess the kids are in trouble.

Sleepin’ in Slidell

What do you do when you have a sneaking suspicion your opponent does not live in the jurisdiction in which he is running for office? You take one of the area’s most memorable songs and remix it.

Candidates Gregory Rome and Darren Roy were squaring off in a St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana judicial race. Per the Rome campaign, in the midst of the race he “learned that Roy was living in Slidell and verified the assertion when his campaign hired a licensed private investigator, Keith Lobrano. Investigators followed Roy for two weeks and observed him spending the night at his Chalmette house only once in that time.”

This is a red flag, which many voters may pay attention to but could gloss over. That was difficult to do when Rome paid homage to Crescent City legend Fats Domino’s “Walking to New Orleans” with his own remix, titled “Sleepin’ in Slidell.” GRAMMY-worthy indeed.

Full disclosure: the songbird featured in “Sleepin’ in Slidell” is Bond Moroch Managing Supervisor Camille Rome, Gregory’s spouse.
Ryan Evans is a Managing Supervisor at Bond Moroch.