Clarion Ledger - Candidates Hit Airwaves

News Article

By: Elizabeth Crisp and Molly Parker

The political campaign commercial season has officially started.

In many ways, it's like Super Bowl commercials. They are rated, discussed and potentially the most talked about aspect of the election. They have the potential to make or break a candidate.

GOP gubernatorial cadidates Dave Dennis, a Gulf Coast businessman, and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant both are on TV.

In the lieutenant governor's race, Treasurer Tate Reeves has a 30-second spot on the air that features his daughter, Tyler, holding the stopwatch while Reeves ticks off a list of concerns, such as the state's high debt load.

Senate President Pro Tempore Billy Hewes, R-Gulfport, broke the commercial mold for the 2011 cycle in January in a popular spot that featured his family driving while Hewes discussed ways to promote himself - at the drive-through window or with an air blimp - when his son chimed in that he should do a commercial.

The ad ran for two weeks in January.

But with primaries just around the bend - Aug. 2 - Hewes isn't saying when he'll be on television again.

"We will be on in our own time ... We have a plan," Hewes said.

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