[vimeo http://player.vimeo.com/video/107607274]
Gov. Nathan Deal's campaign is re-introducing voters to his wife Sandra in a major way.
The campaign's new ad, "Driven," features images of the former schoolteacher reading to students and crisscrossing Georgia to visit classrooms. Her takeaway line: "I've shared Nathan Deal's heart for 48 years. And he cares about the education for Georgia's children."
Sandra, as we've noted before, has been one of the most active first ladies in state history. She's logged thousands of miles to read to children in all 159 counties and was the face of the state's recent literacy campaigns.
But her starring role in the above 30-second spot vaults her into new territory on the campaign trail in her husband's heated contest against Democrat Jason Carter. Some polls show the governor faces a double-digit gender gap among women voters, and the Deal campaign hopes Sandra's popularity can narrow that lead.
The ad continues the GOP's two-track advertising strategy in the governor's race: Deal's campaign features largely optimistic ads touting his first four years. And the Republican Governors Association, the campaign's greatest outside ally, relentlessly attacks Carter's voting record and campaign platform.
Carter, bereft of any significant third-party support, is left to promote his vision and contrast himself with Deal in his ads. His campaign is also increasingly featuring his wife, Kate, a journalist-turned-educator who is fronting his "Teachers for Carter" appeal to educators and recently had a key speaking role in announcing a teacher group's endorsement.
Here's the transcript from the governor's ad, with Sandra as the narrator:
But I've also done it because Georgians deserve to know that Nathan Deal has increased education funding and is fighting to expand the HOPE scholarship.
I've shared Nathan Deal's heart for 48 years. And he cares about the education for Georgia's children.
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