Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler released a debut ad Friday touting her support for President Donald Trump and opposition to impeachment as she tried to quickly boost her name recognition less than two weeks after she was sworn into office.
The 30-second spot is part of the former financial executive’s initial $2.6 million ad buy, which will run her message on broadcast, radio and cable outlets statewide over the next 28 days. The campaign plans to spend at least $1 million more in its first phase of advertisements.
Speaking directly to the camera, Loeffler highlights two measures she co-sponsored to end the impeachment of the president and supported Trump's decision to launch a deadly missile strike against Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.
“China is attacking American jobs. Iran is attacking American troops. And Congress only attacks the president,” she said. “It has to stop. I’m Kelly Loeffler. I approve this message because it’s time to get to work.”
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Loeffler has kicked off a manic roll-out tour after she was tapped in December by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the seat held by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, a three-term Republican who retired for health reasons.
Little known to even many Georgia Republican officials, Loeffler has promised to spend at least $20 million to finance her campaign ahead of a November election to fill the remaining two years on Isakson's term.
She’ll need to boost her profile fast. Among her potential Republican rivals is U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, who has enjoyed droves of free media appearing regularly on Fox News and other cable outlets to rail against Trump’s impeachment.
The Democratic side of the contest is fast shaping up, too. Businessman Matt Lieberman recently reported raising $700,000 in his first months in the contest. He'll soon be joined in the race by former federal prosecutor Ed Tarver.
And the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, has recently taken steps toward announcing a bid and is said to have the support of Stacey Abrams and other party luminaries.
The November special election is a free-for-all with no primaries to filter out nominees, meaning that multiple candidates from each party could share the same ballot. U.S. Sen. David Perdue, a former Fortune 500 chief executive, is also seeking a second term against four top Democrats.
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Here’s the transcript:
Loeffler: "My first bill called to end impeachment. My second bill supported killing the world's deadliest terrorist.
Narrator: "Kelly Loeffler, a businesswoman, not a career politician."
Loeffler: "China is attacking American jobs. Iran is attacking American troops. And Congress only attacks the president. It has to stop. I'm Kelly Loeffler. I approve this message because it's time to get to work."
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