Republican Sen. Roger Wicker could probably think of a better time for voters to discover his musical theater talents.
But with just over a week until Election Day and polls tightening in Mississippi's Senate race, Democrats are circulating a video of Wicker crooning his heart out in a 1987 performance of the musical Oliver!.
Wicker plays the criminal pickpocket Fagin in the production, and the video shows him performing the song, "You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two," with overlaid text attacking his record. "Roger Wicker knows something about picking a pocket or two," the text says before ticking off facts like, "Wicker voted himself a pay raise nine times" and "Wicker voted against increasing the minimum wage thirteen times."
Of course, it's hard to imagine anyone changing their vote one way or the other over such footage (who knows, maybe it will make Wicker more likable?). But at the very least, it's a viral tool for Dems to distribute their talking points about the GOP candidate.
We've reached out to Wicker's campaign staff for comment and will update the story if they respond.
The most recent polling in Mississippi shows Wicker holding onto a dwindling lead over Democrat Ronnie Musgrove. Wicker had a two-point lead in the most recent Rasmussen poll, and a one-point lead in the DKos/Research2000 poll. Both leads were within the margin of error.
Over the weekend, the Clarion Ledger, one of Mississippi's largest papers, endorsed Musgrove. And Wicker recently began running a radio ad aimed at African-Americans that links him favorably to Barack Obama.