In the last round of ads it will run before the election, the progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org is going back to the well, raising the specter of well-resourced corporations overwhelming the vote of regular citizens.
Airing in 28 different races, the spot took obvious, painstaking effort to produce, featuring actual voters in that specific district reading portions of the script. But by getting authentic narrators to deliver the message there is some additional resonance.
"This ad is not paid for by the corporate front group and oil billionaires who are trying to buy this election," the ad, airing the Illinois Senate race goes. "This is our ad made by hard working Americans who live right here in Illinois and we have one simple message: Mark Kirk is backed by one of those front groups and if he is on their side than he is sure not on ours. Vote Alexi Giannoulias."
The ad echoes a closing election pitch the entire Democratic Party is making from the White House on down. But what's worth noting is that the thrust of the message is one MoveOn was making well before the run-up to the election. While other aspects of the party were hesitant to offend those corporate entities that were and could be their own donors, the progressive group had long argued that doing so could be smart politics.
Back in August, MoveOn did polling showing that campaign finance reform would be a winner for Democrats in battleground races. And over the course of the summer, MoveOn members held more than 500 events pushing the issue.
The ad will start airing on Friday, a MoveOn official tells the Huffington Post. And it will stay on air through Election Day, with different density in different markets, some of which will depend on how the organization fundraises during the closing week and a half.
The ad will be airing on behalf of the following candidates and members.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)
Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo)
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL)
Rep. Suzanna Kosmas (D-FL)
Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.)
Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.)
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
Congressional candidate Ann Kuster (D-N.H.)
Rep. Martin Heinrigh (D-N.M.)
Rep. Harry Teague (D-N.M.)
Rep. Dina Titus (D-N.V.)
Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Penn.)
Rep. Chris Carney (D-Penn.)
Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.)
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wa)
Congressional candidate Denny Heck (D-Wa)
Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wisc.)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias (D-Ill.)
Senate candidate Robin Carnahan (D-MO)
Senate candidate Lee Fisher (D-Ohio)
Senate candidate Joe Sestak (D-Penn.)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)