July in Oklahoma heats up, especially in election years.
With the primary election four days away, Andrew Rice’s campaign is getting more intense. We took it to the next level on Monday by launching our first TV ad, called “Leader.” This 30-second ad has received great feedback from all corners of Oklahoma.
Here’s the ad; more on the heat below the fold.
The ad demonstrates one thing clearly: Sen. Rice is a unique candidate in a unique election year. He is gaining ground on Jim Inhofe by fighting the insurance industry to improve patients’ rights, opposing the War in Iraq, promoting ways to break America’s addiction to oil, and guaranteeing that he will not trample on the privacy rights of American citizens.
Though his background and message are catching on among voters, the biggest obstacle in our race right now is name ID. From Kos’ baseline poll in mid-June:
So what is keeping Rice down? Name ID.
Do you have a favorable or un favorable opinion of Andrew Rice?
Not sure: 52
Less than half of Oklahoma voters know who Rice is, but over 50 percent will consider voting for someone not named Inhoffe.
From the feedback we’ve gotten, the ad is effectively introducing voters to Sen. Rice – and they’re buying into the campaign.
Right now is a critical moment in our campaign to defeat Jim Inhofe and to send Andrew Rice to the Senate. We’re building name ID and building excitement for our race by going up on TV. We’re going to have a tremendous showing at the polls on Tuesday, and we’re going to build from that victory to a great win in November.
We’re trying to raise $35,000 to stay on the air a week longer than planned. Can you help us out? A few dollars toward TV now can make this race competetive in fall. Our internal polls show that once people know Andrew and his message, he beats Inhofe by a wide margin.
So please help us raise $35K to raise Andrew’s name ID. July’s hot, but the next few months will only get hotter in this campaign. We’re building toward victory on November 4th, but we need resources now to keep it up.
Best,
Karina Henderson
Rice for US Senate