We’re in an election season where “political outsider” is the highest possible compliment, an indicator that you have nothing to do with those unethical slimeballs down in Washington. But those slimeballs down in Washington like “political outsiders” too, which is why they throw so much money at getting them elected.
Case in point: Congressional candidate Ted Budd, who won the Republican primary in North Carolina’s District 13 this week, beating out 16 other candidates. Budd is, as his lengthy bio on his beautiful website will tell you, a true outsider, who owns a gun range, home schools his kids, and has no interest in politics, which is, naturally, why he ran for Congress:
As a small business owner who has never run for political office, Ted was not looking for an excuse to run. He is used to getting things done every day, not playing political games and calling it success. Between the gun shop and homeschooling his two daughters and Eagle Scout son, Ted and his wife Amy Kate are busy enough without the challenges of a campaign. But after talking and praying about it, they realized nothing will change in Washington unless someone new steps forward.
The Club for Growth spent nearly $500,000 helping Ted get one step closer to Congress; they also funded two ads for Budd, made by a political media company called RedPrint Strategy. Up top is “Shake Up Washington,” featuring boilerplate language about Budd’s conservative values, delivered in a folksy but non-specific Southern accent.
The other ad titled “Different,” is particularly amazing, featuring Budd cocking his guns, sternly closing farm gates to emphasize his steely resolve, and, at one point, sitting down to dinner with his family and a jar conspicuously labeled “Sweet Tea.” In case you didn’t get the message.
(It’s unclear where or when “Different” aired; it’s not on Club for Growth’s YouTube page or Budd’s Facebook page. RedPrint strategies didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Jezebel, but sent the ad out to press to tout their work and congratulate Budd on his winning campaign.)
Budd touted his outsider status as the key to getting him elected, telling the Winston-Salem Journal he’s not beholden to any outside group. This is how it looks when super PACS decide to get involved in state politics: it’s speedy, slick, and very, very effective.
