Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) is once again taking a swing at America’s “broken politics” in his latest TV ad, highlighting his refusal to take corporate PAC money and his work to lower housing and prescription drug costs.
The ad, “Change,” utilizes an unusual stop-motion technique, combining 360 individual photos of Kim held up by nearly one hundred New Jerseyans around the state; the campaign is putting “seven figures” to air the ad statewide.
“For years, New Jersey has seen politicians putting themselves and special interests ahead of the needs of families and our communities, but I believe a new kind of politics is possible,” Kim said in a statement. “This November, we will change our broken system and get to work putting people, not the well-off and well-connected, first.”
The ad echoes the themes of Kim’s first TV ad from last month, which spoofed the opening of The Sopranos to emphasize the unsavory reputation of New Jersey politics. In both ads, Kim pitches himself as the wholesome, lonesome crusader willing to fight against the tide of corruption and greed.
It’s a message that has captivated many New Jersey voters ever since Kim’s first campaign in 2018, when he unseated Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-Toms River) in a Trump-won congressional district. In his successful Senate primary campaign this year, Kim railed against both the corruption of Senator Bob Menendez (who resigned this summer) and the insider-driven connections of First Lady Tammy Murphy (who dropped out of the race rather than face Kim in a Democratic primary).
Kim is considered the substantial favorite next month against Republican Curtis Bashaw, who has yet to air any TV ads of his own (and who still has virtually nonexistent name recognition among New Jersey voters, per a recent Stockton poll). Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since 1972, the second-longest Republican losing streak in the country after Hawaii.
Script
Andy Kim: “I’ll just say it: I believe our broken politics have to change. It’s why I’ve never accepted a dime of corporate PAC money, and sponsored the strongest anti-corruption bill in a generation. I believe we can put our families before big corporations and profits. So I stood up to special interests to cap insulin at $35 a month for seniors, and I’m working to lower housing costs. I’m Andy Kim, and I approve this message because I believe in New Jersey.”