One of the pledges Republican congressional hopeful Quin Hillyer made early on was that he would not go negative. And although Hillyer failed to bring any of the other candidates onboard with him in that pledge, his campaign has worked hard to make most of it.
In one of the quirkier of the four spots Hillyer has so far, the journalist-turned-congressional candidate opens with his former radio show’s “Hillyer Time” theme music with a slightly self-deprecating theme.
“Hi, this is Quin Hillyer and you might know me from that radio show I had or writing for the Mobile Register,” he said. “I’ve got a funny voice. And when I was growing up, you would have never guessed I would have been on radio and on TV, much less running for Congress because I had the worst st-st-st-stutter you’ve ever heard. But I didn’t give up.”
Hillyer used that introduction proclaiming his childhood difficulties with stuttering as an attention-getting device to draw people in for the rest of the two-minute commercial, which promotes his background and candidacy.
In that ad and others, Hillyer ultimately takes aim at President Obama and the Washington establishment, rather than attacking the other top-tier candidates.
With the 1st congressional district primary less than a month away, Hillyer’s latest radio spot reiterates the four pledges he made early in his campaign with regard to term limits, lobbying, running for higher office and not running negative ads.
“If elected to Congress, I pledge to serve just five terms,” Hillyer says in the two-minute spot. “Two, once I leave Congress I will not work one single day for one single dollar as a paid lobbyist. I’m running for office to serve you, not my own financial interests. Three, this is not a stepping stone to higher office. I pledge to never run for Alabama governor — not in 2014 or 2018, not ever. And four, the Quin Hillyer for Congress campaign will be a clean one. We will not run a single radio, TV or print ad attacking any competitor. You deserve a constructive campaign based on the issues. I’m asking for your vote on Sept. 24.”
With Mobile’s mayoral race having just been settled Tuesday night, the AL-01 contest now takes center stage, and new radio and TV spots are beginning to roll out.
Just in the last few days, both Bradley Byrne and Chad Fincher have unveiled their own new spots.
Follow Jeff on Twitter @Jeff_Poor
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