Sen. Joyce Elliott launches first TV commercial in Congressional bid

Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, the Democratic nominee for Arkansas’ Second Congressional District, released her first TV ad of the campaign cycle in her bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock.

Her campaign said the ad, “Hands,” is part of a six-figure buy and will also be backed up with digital advertising. The 60-second spot is narrated by Elliott and describes her upbringing, motivation for becoming a teacher, and criticizes Hill’s vote for the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Hill has not launched a broadcast TV campaign ad yet.

The ad begins with references to Elliott’s mother and grandmother and how their manual labor plus the integration of public schools led her to become a teacher.

“Poor kids from Arkansas grow up watching their elders work,” Elliott says in the ad.

The spot discusses Elliott’s legislative work “fighting for better healthcare” and “lower taxes for working people.” Elliott criticizes Hill’s vote for the 2017 tax cut saying, “It added trillions of dollars of debt and gave a huge tax break to wealthy Americans.” She argues in the ad that the cut would be paid for by cutting Medicare and Social Security funding, citing a Dec. 27, 2017 article from The Hill.

“I am proud to share my life story and show how it motivated my decades-long quest to fight for working people. Making healthcare more affordable, lowering taxes for working people—these are the kinds of common-sense measures I will prioritize in Congress,” Elliott said in a press release announcing the ad. “That will be a welcome change from our current Congressman, who time and time again has voted to cut Medicare and Social Security to benefit fellow millionaires and special interest groups.”

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. You can watch the TV ad in the video below.