Archives - Rey Barry says wrong-headed Warner advertising helped Gillespie
November 2014
Letters to the Editor: Rey Barry says wrong-headed Warner advertising helped Gillespie
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George,

At the moment Warner is behind [this was sent at 10:12 p.m. election night], but with lots of counting still to come. If he loses, blame the TV advertising, whoever designed it.

Warner, a 6-year senator following a 30-year senator with the same name, had the best name recognition in Virginia since Harry Byrd. So what did the campaign advertisers do about that? They spent millions to over-publicize the name of the Republican candidate whom few Virginians had heard of.

Gillespie never held office, never had his name in a headline or a soundbite prior to running against Warner. But everyone came to know the name of this unknown thanks to a massive smear campaign with his name boldly on the TV screen, while a voice described who Gillespie worked for years ago. An ad aimed at the choir. The voter in the middle couldn't care less.

I've been following politics since Eisenhower beat Taft for the GOP nomination, and I cannot remember a dumber political mistake than Warner's negative ads against an unknown.

I hope it wasn't the campaign that was responsible, but some outside soft money hooyas who think they know it all.

Rey Barry (Electronic mail, November 4, 2014)


Comments? Questions? Write me at george@loper.org.