The Kirk For Senate campaign will launch its first Spanish television ad tomorrow, titled “Su Senador,” highlighting Senator Kirk’s work on behalf of Illinois’ Hispanic community and residents. The ad will run on Univision and Telemundo until the end of the election cycle.
Senator Kirk has consistently broken from his party to support and advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. In 2013, he was one of 14 Senate Republicans to support comprehensive immigration reform and has continued the effort throughout his term, working with organizations like the Illinois Business Immigration Council. In 2005, Senator Kirk launched his Abuelitas program that has reunited over 3,000 separated families. He is fluent in Spanish and studied at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
So far, Univision, which airs on WGBO Ch. 66, reported the Kirk campaign bought seven ads for this week at a cost of $3,175. No spending report was on file with the Federal Communications Commission for Telemundo, which airs on WSNS Ch. 44.
An excellent ad (I had to look at the translation) I think this does 3 things:
1. Shows that he has his head in the game.
2. Doubts any nay-sayers who question his ability to function post-stroke
3. Shows the immigrant community that in this race they have someone who doesn’t just pander, but who is actually on their side.
Considering that Kirk was on record as supporting Trump almost a full year after Trump began his Mexican immigrants are rapists and we have to build a wall routine, this ad campaign is disingenuous at best.
His pronunciation is embarrassing, beyond horrible. I am genuinely curious how this plays with Latino voters. Is it a nice gesture (at least he’s trying) or an insult (obvious pandering)?
I have never been entirely sure about his attacks on his party’s nominee for president being the best approach. And his several mis-steps explaining about who he’d vote for instead are cringe-inducing. However, despite the people here who are mocking his accent, he gave it a go. He did not use a voice-over as so many pols do when trying to reach their Spanish speaking constituency. For that I give him props and I give this ad a B.
Once upon a different life time, I heard something a Latino politician in Dallas, TX, said about commercials on Spanish-language television, “You can always tell who the white politicians are because their ads are always only in Spanish.”
It is smart to reach out to your constituents in every way you can, so I certainly don’t hold that against Sen. Kirk.
But this ad is pandering, pure and simple pandering. Sen. Kirk is scared he will lose this fall, and he is trying to improve his chances by directly pandering to an audience the Republican party at the federal level has had little use for in past elections.
Will Sen. Kirk air a similar ad in English on the major networks? If he doesn’t, it will raise real concerns about his willingness to publicly oppose Trump.
Also, while airing an ad in Spanish on Univisión & Telemundo is nice, the production values really aren’t that great. The message is he opposes Trump - with a quote translated into Spanish - and supports immigration reform. To illustrate the point, the ad shows a clip of what could be mistaken for stock footage of a man and child. And, worse, there is no quote supporting the claim.
Voters are smart enough to see through this ad and recognize the effort as a desperate and kind of cynical attempt to appeal for their votes.
And another thing, can we please just admit that Sen. Kirk uses a wheelchair most of the time?
He suffered a major stroke. His recovery has been absolutely miraculous. The fact he can stand and speak at all is probably as close to a miracle as many of us may witness in our lifetimes.
The fact he has continued in office during his recovery is amazing. So now, the fact he uses a wheelchair does not disqualify him from office in any way.
Do away with the pretense and vanity, show the voters the unvarnished truth about who he is, and I believe he would do better in opinion polls and have a better chance of winning in November.
- Terrible Towel - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 9:50 am:
An excellent ad (I had to look at the translation) I think this does 3 things:
1. Shows that he has his head in the game.
2. Doubts any nay-sayers who question his ability to function post-stroke
3. Shows the immigrant community that in this race they have someone who doesn’t just pander, but who is actually on their side.
- walker - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 10:05 am:
Nice ad … However, not sure the target audience will split tickets for this guy, and Hillary has the top spot locked.
- I must say - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 10:10 am:
Muy bueno.— Very good ad. Talks about several important concerns that the Hispanic/latino voters in IL have and what Kirk has/is doing about them.
- ChrisB - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 10:12 am:
I like Kirk and think this is smart, but his accent sounds like Seventh Grade Spanish class.
- slow down - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 10:16 am:
Considering that Kirk was on record as supporting Trump almost a full year after Trump began his Mexican immigrants are rapists and we have to build a wall routine, this ad campaign is disingenuous at best.
- Reality Check - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 10:18 am:
His pronunciation is embarrassing, beyond horrible. I am genuinely curious how this plays with Latino voters. Is it a nice gesture (at least he’s trying) or an insult (obvious pandering)?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 10:21 am:
It’s a great spot, why the small buy? Is money that tight?
- @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 10:42 am:
A pretty good spot — if Kirk can raise enough money to make a serious ad buy, Illinois will never elect Trump to the Senate.
– MrJM
- DuPage Bard - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 11:03 am:
Decent ad, making an outreach in this cycle is smart. Question- Wouldn’t Mark Kirk’s life be easier if he just finally said he was a Democrat?
- Saluki - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 11:10 am:
I can’t understand what he is saying, so I guess I am not the target marketing. sigh…
- Belle - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 11:22 am:
Great idea—horrid accent but he tried. Many Latinos vote GOP so why not try to split the ticket?
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 11:32 am:
A GOP senate candidate makes an attack ad against the GOP presidential candidate? In a language other than English?
Welcome to 2016 politics.
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 12:33 pm:
The ad sounds like it’s “read” and makes the Spanish sound like a non-Spanish speaker is talking.
It’s not a terrible ad but it sounds unnatural.
C+
It can’t hurt Kirk to run against Trump in Illinois, but if he was in a swing state, would he have withdrawn his endorsement?
- Anono - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 12:51 pm:
So why did Kirk initially support Trump?
- slow down - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 1:15 pm:
That’s a fair question which Kirk has never answered. That he’s now running by highlighting his new found opposition to Trump is galling.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 1:24 pm:
I have never been entirely sure about his attacks on his party’s nominee for president being the best approach. And his several mis-steps explaining about who he’d vote for instead are cringe-inducing. However, despite the people here who are mocking his accent, he gave it a go. He did not use a voice-over as so many pols do when trying to reach their Spanish speaking constituency. For that I give him props and I give this ad a B.
- PrairieFire - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 2:05 pm:
Once upon a different life time, I heard something a Latino politician in Dallas, TX, said about commercials on Spanish-language television, “You can always tell who the white politicians are because their ads are always only in Spanish.”
It is smart to reach out to your constituents in every way you can, so I certainly don’t hold that against Sen. Kirk.
But this ad is pandering, pure and simple pandering. Sen. Kirk is scared he will lose this fall, and he is trying to improve his chances by directly pandering to an audience the Republican party at the federal level has had little use for in past elections.
Will Sen. Kirk air a similar ad in English on the major networks? If he doesn’t, it will raise real concerns about his willingness to publicly oppose Trump.
Also, while airing an ad in Spanish on Univisión & Telemundo is nice, the production values really aren’t that great. The message is he opposes Trump - with a quote translated into Spanish - and supports immigration reform. To illustrate the point, the ad shows a clip of what could be mistaken for stock footage of a man and child. And, worse, there is no quote supporting the claim.
Voters are smart enough to see through this ad and recognize the effort as a desperate and kind of cynical attempt to appeal for their votes.
- PrairieFire - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 2:12 pm:
And another thing, can we please just admit that Sen. Kirk uses a wheelchair most of the time?
He suffered a major stroke. His recovery has been absolutely miraculous. The fact he can stand and speak at all is probably as close to a miracle as many of us may witness in our lifetimes.
The fact he has continued in office during his recovery is amazing. So now, the fact he uses a wheelchair does not disqualify him from office in any way.
Do away with the pretense and vanity, show the voters the unvarnished truth about who he is, and I believe he would do better in opinion polls and have a better chance of winning in November.
- PrairieFire - Wednesday, Sep 14, 16 @ 2:16 pm:
Correction - it was ads on radio, not television