In Massachusetts, it looks like the race for the Senate seat held by Scott Brown (R-MA) and formerly held by Ted Kennedy (D-MA) is already out of the starting gate, thanks to likely Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren’s national profile. Brown is starting out a long slog to November with a radio flight.
Brown scored an upset victory in Massachusetts after the passing of Kennedy in the last election cycle, winning to right to complete Kennedy’s term. That amounted to only two years, and the Democratic Party has made recapturing this seat a priority.
Enter Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard professor and consumer activist who was to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau but could not get past Republicans in the Senate. She was urged by many to enter the race for Brown’s seat and eventually decided to go for it. She is benefitting from a strong national donor base. Brown is also getting support from his party.
According to the Boston Globe, Warren has been airing television ads aiming to introduce herself to Massachusetts voters, and Brown is now embarking on a radio campaign to remind voters that he has been an independent voice in Congress rather than simply toeing the party line on certain votes. And there is more radio content to come — the current ad is said to be the first in a series.
RBR-TVBR observation: Politicians everywhere should take note of this – radio is an excellent way to get your message out there early and often without breaking the bank too soon. And it’s easy to tailor your messages to a general audience, or to one that is tightly targeted. Radio should be a big part of every campaign’s promotional arsenal.
