Aggressive campaigning for the 2002 gubernatorial race began Feb. 18, when Gov. Scott McCallum launched the first TV ads of the race. Although the Republican Party of Wisconsin has run pro-McCallum ads, these are the first to be fully funded by the candidate.
Brian Christianson, campaign consultant for McCallum 2002, said the ads are starting early because it is a good time to take a lead in the race.
“The timing is right to get ahead,” Christianson said. “This is our chance to show [the governor’s] commitment to core values.”
The ads will run for a couple weeks and are “pretty aggressive,” Christianson said.
“It is a 30-second shot reaffirming the commitment to no new taxes, the budget-repair bill, education and taking care of the neediest of the needy,” he said.
The ads airing early in the race are important because there are fewer political ads on TV now; therefore, more people will take notice of the ads, Christianson said.
“In politics, perception becomes reality,” Christianson said. “The governor wanted to communicate that Wisconsin is still well and long term we are going to be better off.”
Steve Kean, executive director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said the governor’s ads are running against the spirit of what campaign-finance reform is trying to do.
“If I had $6 million in my campaign accounts, I would run ads, too,” Kean said. “[The ads] are flushed with special-interest intent.”
There are four Democratic candidates running for governor, and the party does not plan to run ads for any of the candidates, Kean said.
The ads touch on some of the core Democratic values and by doing that, the governor is trying to bring up issues that resonate with constituents, Kean said.
Christianson said the core values in the commercials are not Republican or Democratic values.
“This issue is critical to the future health of the state’s economy,” Christianson said. “[McCallum] shares the ideals with the Wisconsin voters. He is saying, ‘I share your values, and we don’t need to raise taxes.'”
Jay Heck, of Common Cause in Wisconsin, said the early ads show the need for campaign-finance legislation in Wisconsin.
“This is going to be an incredibly expensive campaign for the governor,” Heck said. “If the governor is [starting] ads this far away from the race, he is saying that he is willing to spend whatever it takes to win.”
Heck said he hopes the ads will raise more questions about campaign finance.
A representative from the Republican Party of Wisconsin said its pro-McCallum ads ran for a few weeks, and it is possible that the party will run more ads in the future.
