The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped just about every facet of political campaigning – right down to the TV ads.
For the latest evidence of that transformation, look no further than Senate Democratic nominee Jon Ossoff’s newest 30-second spot: A Zoom-style commercial filmed from the living room of his Atlanta house while he’s in self-isolation.
“Hey it’s Jon Ossoff from home,” he says as the ad opens, before reminding viewers his wife, Dr. Alisha Kramer, recently tested positive for the disease. Although Ossoff’s test was negative, he’s in quarantine for at least another week.
“I’m so, so grateful that she’s getting better, but too many Americans are still getting sick. We need to listen to medical experts, coordinate a national testing strategy and stop politicizing masks,” he said.
“I approve this message because nurses and doctors like Alisha, they’re doing their jobs. It’s way past time politicians started doing theirs.”
Ossoff, an investigative journalist, is in a tight race against Republican Sen. David Perdue, who has unleashed a volley of ads promoting his healthcare approach and attacking the Democrat’s agenda. Libertarian Shane Hazel is also in the contest.
Perdue, who leads Ossoff in a Monmouth University poll released this week, also stands to benefit from outside groups that, according to one tally, have devoted roughly $24 million for ads starting in August.
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