WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will begin airing TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire, making her the first 2016 Democratic candidate to take her campaign to the airwaves.
The 60-second ads, unveiled Sunday night and set to begin airing on Tuesday, attempt to reinforce Clinton’s commitment to children and families, which has unfolded throughout her career and has underpinned many of her policy proposals.
“We’re going to make sure everyone knows who Hillary Clinton really is – who she fights for and what has motivated her lifelong commitment to children and families,” campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.
One ad tells the story of Clinton’s mother, Dorothy Rodham, who was abandoned as a child and sent to live with abusive grandparents. At age 14, Rodham left her grandparents’ home and went to work as a nanny. Through the kindness of her employer and teachers, she was able to overcome the obstacles of her childhood.
The other ad illustrates how her mother’s difficult childhood inspired Clinton to focus her public service career on children and family issues, from her work as an attorney at the Children’s Defense Fund, to her fight for health care reform as First Lady.
“My mom’s life and what she went through are big reasons why standing up for kids and families became such a big part of my life,” Clinton says in the ad.
Clinton has previously said that she plans to make her mother’s story a central part of her campaign. When she officially launched her campaign in New York City in June, she framed her speech around her mother’s story and her career as an advocate for children and families.
"My mother taught me that everybody needs a chance and a champion. She knew what it was like not to have either one," Clinton said in the speech.
In her book Hard Choices, Clinton dedicated long passages to her mother’s story and wrote that “no one had a bigger influence on my life or did more to shape the person I became.”
During Clinton’s first presidential bid in 2008, Rodham frequently joined her daughter on the campaign trail and appeared in a campaign ad. She died in 2011.
A substantial part of Clinton’s campaign platform revolves around policy proposals that would benefit children and families, such as paid family leave and making childcare more affordable.
Her renewed focus on economic issues also represents a move to draw in supporters of her challengers, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who have both positioned themselves as progressive alternatives to Clinton. Last month, Clinton delivered a major economic policy speech in which she pledged to promote economic growth for the middle class.
"The defining economic challenge of our time is clear: We must raise incomes for hardworking Americans so they can afford a middle-class life," Clinton said. "We must drive strong and steady income growth that lifts up families and lifts up our country."
Watch one of the TV ads above.