Maybe it’s the power of the cartoon, but this has to be the toughest ad yet to target the Koch brothers and their effort to buy the US Senate.
The animated ad shows North Carolina Republican candidate for the Senate, Thom Tillis, performing for the Kochs, taking money from education and seniors and making it “magically” appear in his patrons’ pockets. State house speaker Tillis is in a tight race against Democratic senator Kate Hagan; whoever wins may determine which party controls the Senate.
Created by American Bridge, a liberal Super PAC founded by Media Matters’ David Brock, the Tillis spot is just the first in a digital-only “Kochville” series that will go after extreme GOP candidates supported by Koch money. And the number of ads that money can buy is mind-boggling. According to the Center for Public Integrity, “The secretive political network of conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch has aired more than 43,900 television ads this election cycle.” The brothers’ Americans for Prosperity is expected to spend more than $125 million alone. While American Bridge is supported in part by billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros, its ad budget doesn’t even come close to that of the oil barons.
The hard-hitting Tillis spot may be deeply satisfying to those who know and dread the Kochs, but some commenters on The News & Observer site wonder if it will resonate with rural North Carolinians.
Watch:
