Two years ago, Ben Lange’s TV ads were filmed by a campaign worker and shot on the front porch Lange’s home.  Money was tight, and the campaign had to make due with less.  Lange’s 2010 ads were surprisingly good considering they were homemade, but this year, Lange’s campaign is more complete now that it boasts a reputable pollster and professional media team.

Lange unveiled the first television ad of his 2010 campaign today.  The ad is entitled “Quasky Values,” and begins running today in the Cedar Rapids TV market and on cable across the district.  Lange is spending almost $68,000 on the buy, which runs through the Labor Day holiday.  Lange’s opponent, Congressman Bruce Braley, is already on TV.  Thus far, Braley has spend about $75,000 on TV ads in the district.

Lange’s ad focuses on him growing up in Quasqueton, Iowa.  It talks about his values, his family, starting his own business, and how government is out of touch these days.  The one thing the ad doesn’t mention is his opponent’s name, which is a wise move for the campaign since the objective is to introduce Lange to voters, not Braley.

Lange is the only Republican congressional candidate in Iowa currently on TV besides Congressman Tom Latham.  Having TV ads running before Labor Day was a luxury that Lange couldn’t afford in 2010.  Another luxury that Lange didn’t have last cycle was help from the National Republican Congressional Campaign (NRCC).  Last week, the NRCC announced that it has reserved $356,800 in air-time in the district to assist Lange.

LANGE LAUNCHES FIRST TV AD
Highlights Rural Upbringing and Iowa Values

INDEPENDENCE, IA — U.S. congressional candidate Ben Lange today launched his first television ad of the 2012 election cycle. The ad, entitled “Quasky Values,” highlights Lange’s upbringing in the rural town of Quasqueton, Iowa where he learned to “live within [his] means, to have courage, and to do what’s right.”

Lange contrasts his rural upbringing and Iowa values with the values of Washington politicians who have nearly doubled the national debt to $16 trillion in less than four years.

Lange’s opponent, the liberal Democrat incumbent Bruce Braley, promised Iowans in one of his very first television ads in May 2006 that, if elected, he would “reduce the deficit” as his highest priority.[1]

But since arriving in Congress, Braley has been captured by Washington and has gone on a massive spending spree. Braley voted to bailout Wall Street executives to the tune of $12.8 trillion in new U.S. obligations, according to Bloomberg News and PBS. Braley voted for the failed stimulus program that cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion and diverted funds to campaign contributors of the Democratic party. Braley even voted against a Balanced Budget Amendment on the House floor.

As a result of these policies and others, the U.S. credit rating was downgraded for the first time in American history in 2011, and the share of debt owed by a middle class family of four in Iowa has increased from $29,000 to $53,000.

Lange’s ad is scheduled to run in the Cedar Rapids market and on district-wide cable through September 4.

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AD SCRIPT: “I grew up right here — Quasqueton, Iowa. Here in Quasky, my parents taught me to live within my means, to have courage, and to do what’s right. I took these values with me as I went to college, got married, opened my own business, and started a family. Politicians in Washington don’t share our values. Reckless spending. Record debt. They’re bankrupting our kids and it’s not right. We need to do something about it. I’m Ben Lange and I approved this message because Washington sure could use some courage from “Quasky.”

[1] See “Dix Now Playing for Team America,” National Journal, May 16, 2006.