Rand Paul in Advertisements

Rand Paul ran for Senate of Kentucky in 2010. His advertisements were mostly positive, but there is one ad from his competitor that drew a lot of national attention. Before we get to this advertisement and Paul's response, it is important to understand some of Paul's earlier ads.
Rand Paul- Bluegrass Values

This is a clear image ad for Rand Paul and his campaign. It is no secret what the point of this advertisement was, but beyond that, the campaign made sure to throw in some family activities along with Paul speaking to veterans. This ad is not something that is really memorable for someone outside of Kentucky, but if you live in the state, this ad could very well strike home with you. I would say this ad does a good job in showing where Paul's interests really are, and the use of the line, "As surely as the sun will rise, Rand Paul will fight every day for Kentucky," leave a lasting messages to the voters. 

Rand Paul- Fighting Back

Feeding off the same idea of using the sun, Paul uses this advertisement to inform the voters that he is not the "career politician" like the current politicians. He sets fourth that he is there to "get our government back" while name dropping Sarah Palin as a supporter. A problem that I could see is in the clip of Palin, how do we really know she is talking about Paul? Again, Paul is using a challenger strategy by saying there is a need for new ideas in government. There was no incumbent in this race, but Paul still used the challenger strategies well.

Jack Conway Ad

This is the ad from Paul's competitor that drew a lot of national attention. Clearly the idea is that Paul is not a man of faith like most of the Republicans are in Kentucky. This ad leaves a lot for a person to think about, both with if the ad is fact based and about what kind of person Paul really is. From a neutral standpoint, it is very disappointing that faith would be thrown around like it was in this ad, but it could have a lasting affect on some people. Paul's campaign thought that there was enough of these people in Kentucky, so here is their response ad.  

Paul is not really attacking Conway as much as he is trying take the focus off his faith. Paul quickly answers the faith question by saying that he, "keeps Christ in his heart and in the life he shares with his wife and three boys." This shows that he is a man of faith, and that Christ is a part of their family life. Once this is established, Paul begins to claim that the ad was shameful and that he clearly is not suitable for the job if he would sink this low. The final picture of the ad speaks wonders, "Jack Conway False Witness leaves a lasting impression on anyone who would watch this ad. Really, it is shocking that an advertisement like this had to be made, but it worked in Paul's favor as we ultimately won the election.

Overall, the Paul campaign kept a positive outlook and eventually leading to his election. Paul most likely won some points for the very negative ad ran by the Conway campaign, most likely making it easier to focus on his positives rather than the negatives of Jack Conway. Paul, like most potential presidential candidates has the past success of political campaigns, so I am curious to see how a presidential campaign would look for Rand Paul. 

Advertisements in Order

Bluegrass Values

Fighting Back

Conway Ad 

Paul Response