State Rep. Will Ainsworth (R-Guntersville) announced Wednesday that he was launching a $1 million ad buy in support of his bid for lieutenant governor.

Ainsworth, who faces two opponents in the June GOP primary, said in a statement that it was the largest ad buy so far of any candidate — not just for lieutenant governor but for any statewide office.
The ads that began airing statewide on cable stations touts Ainsworth’s Christian faith, showing him in a chapel and holding a Bible with superimposed text reading, “Will Ainsworth. Proud. Christian. Conservative.”

The candidate, holding the Bible, promises to “go by the book and always stand for the Christian values that make Alabama great.”

Ainsworth, looking at the camera, says, “All the answers you’re ever going to need are in this book.”

The ad includes a video of himself with his wife and three children, and recites his credentials — former youth pastor, conservative, Christian businessman.

“I’m Will Ainsworth,” he says. “I’ll fight the liberal elites who mock our Christian values, take away our guns, and redefine marriage.”

It is a classic biographical ad by a candidate trying to raise his profile outside of his home base of Marshall, Blount and DeKalb counties.

Campaign finance records indicate that Ainsworth leads the pack on the money race. He has raised a total of nearly $1.5 million — more than opponents Rusty Glover and Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh combined — and he had more than $1 million in the bank as of last month.

“Unlike his career politician opponents, Will Ainsworth is a fresh face with new ideas, and this ad will help voters learn what guides his beliefs, thoughts, and actions,” his campaign director, Lewis McDonald, said in a statement. “As a former youth pastor, Will has a devout commitment to his Christian faith, and he will lead the fight to preserve the morals and values that the Bible instructs us to follow.”

@BrendanKKirby is a senior political reporter at LifeZette and author of “Wicked Mobile.”