Cropp Takes Negative Campaign to the Airwaves
According to the Post, Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp is taking her negative campaign against front-runner Adrian Fenty to the airwaves:
D.C. mayoral candidate Linda W. Cropp will ramp up her increasingly pointed attacks on opponent Adrian M. Fenty today with a pair of radio spots, the first on-air campaign advertising in the race for mayor before the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.
The two one-minute radio ads seek to paint Fenty as an obstructionist D.C. Council member who was an irresponsible lawyer before he was elected to office.
Both ads feature a 1999 case in which Fenty mishandled the accounts of an elderly man while he was acting as a court-appointed guardian. Fenty, who was running for council at the time, has acknowledged his oversight and said he voluntarily repaid $15,000 to the man's estate.
"Fenty was admonished for his neglect," one advertisement devoted exclusively to the case announces in a voice-over. "An official investigation labeled Fenty 'incompetent, negligent or both.' "
The Cropp campaign decision to go into hyper negative mode isn't surprising. The Post poll showed her down 10 points and the SurveyUSA poll showed her down 21 points, so it is clear she had to do something fast to turn this thing around.
Cropp's negative campaign may actually work and so far is being aided by unforced errors on Fenty's part. First, Fenty agreed to a one on one debate with Cropp, which honestly mystifies me. There is no upside in it for him. If I were Fenty's campaign I would have agreed to a debate only if it included the other candidates. Second, Fenty is trying to take the high road and not respond to the Cropp negative campaign blitz - something that is truly a mistake. More from the Post:
Despite agreeing to the debate, Fenty has responded to Cropp's attacks by trying not to get into a direct confrontation. His first direct-mail brochure to voters this week did not mention her.
Fenty can give this lead away in the coming days if he lets Cropp define him. Fenty should swing back at Cropp and swing back hard. Trying to look above the fray won't work. Voters are going to be paying closer attention to the race in the coming weeks and Cropp's negative campaign blitz could seriously hurt Fenty's standing.
D.C. mayoral candidate Linda W. Cropp will ramp up her increasingly pointed attacks on opponent Adrian M. Fenty today with a pair of radio spots, the first on-air campaign advertising in the race for mayor before the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.
The two one-minute radio ads seek to paint Fenty as an obstructionist D.C. Council member who was an irresponsible lawyer before he was elected to office.
Both ads feature a 1999 case in which Fenty mishandled the accounts of an elderly man while he was acting as a court-appointed guardian. Fenty, who was running for council at the time, has acknowledged his oversight and said he voluntarily repaid $15,000 to the man's estate.
"Fenty was admonished for his neglect," one advertisement devoted exclusively to the case announces in a voice-over. "An official investigation labeled Fenty 'incompetent, negligent or both.' "
The Cropp campaign decision to go into hyper negative mode isn't surprising. The Post poll showed her down 10 points and the SurveyUSA poll showed her down 21 points, so it is clear she had to do something fast to turn this thing around.
Cropp's negative campaign may actually work and so far is being aided by unforced errors on Fenty's part. First, Fenty agreed to a one on one debate with Cropp, which honestly mystifies me. There is no upside in it for him. If I were Fenty's campaign I would have agreed to a debate only if it included the other candidates. Second, Fenty is trying to take the high road and not respond to the Cropp negative campaign blitz - something that is truly a mistake. More from the Post:
Despite agreeing to the debate, Fenty has responded to Cropp's attacks by trying not to get into a direct confrontation. His first direct-mail brochure to voters this week did not mention her.
Fenty can give this lead away in the coming days if he lets Cropp define him. Fenty should swing back at Cropp and swing back hard. Trying to look above the fray won't work. Voters are going to be paying closer attention to the race in the coming weeks and Cropp's negative campaign blitz could seriously hurt Fenty's standing.
posted by ChrisBarronDC at 7:41 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home