Highlights
- The two themes -- his military record and Bennetap vote in favor of the Iran deal -- echo his repetitive message on the campaign trail.
- The Keyser campaign declined to disclose the size of the TV buy, meaning it is unclear whether will make an impact in the race.
- Rival Jack Graham debuted his own major TV ad a week ago.
UPDATED: Jon Keyser sticks to his guns in his first television ad in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
The 30-second spot, which debuts Tuesday, emphasizes Keyser’s service as a “military intelligence officer” who conducted urban “capture and kill missions to remove high-value targets” against “a vicious enemy armed by Iran.”
A stern-looking Keyser then takes aim at the Iran deal, saying President Barack Obama “wants to give these guys nuclear weapons and Michael Bennet, he was all for it.”
The kicker: “For me itap personal. You don’t trust Iran and you can’t trust Michael Bennet.”
The two themes — his military record and Bennetap vote in favor of the Iran deal — echo his repetitive message on the campaign trail, which sounds more like a general election ad than one aimed at his four GOP rivals in the June 28 primary.
But so far, not many people are expected to see it. According to media tracking companies, the Keyser campaign is spending less than $5,000 to air the ad on Fox News through Sunday.
And whether his assertions pass the truth test is another question. PolitiFact, a prominent fact-checking outlet, recently to a U.S. Senate candidate in Florida who said the deal “allows Iran to produce a nuclear weapon.” The wording in Keyser’s ad goes even further. (He was for a different false claim regarding Guantanamo Bay detainees.)
The Keyser campaign said it bought statewide air time through the primary but declined to disclose the size of the initial TV buy, nor how much it will spend in the future.
Without the details, itap unclear how many people will see the campaign’s ads and whether they will make an impact in the race. , Keyser only had $200,000 in the bank, meaning he doesn’t have much to spend — though high-dollar donors in recent weeks.
Republican rival Jack Graham debuted his first TV ad May 25 and put $450,000 behind it, according to his campaign, a significant buy that suggests many potential voters will get the message.
The Graham ad — produced by veteran ad maker Walt Klein — is a biographical piece designed to emphasize his outsider status.
“I’m not a lawyer. Never run for office. And don’t owe any favors in Washington,” Graham says to the camera at the start. “I’m a businessman with a track record for getting things done.”
The 30-second ad is appearing on cable and broadcast in the Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and Pueblo markets — a statewide reach the campaign said it will continue through the primary.
Graham of his own money into the race and is expected to be able to spend more on television than the other candidates.
The only other candidate on TV is , another wealthy businessman, who recently debuted an ad about the “congressional blahs.”