Former New York City mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg purchased a 60-second ad spot promoting gun control to air during the Super Bowl. He posted the ad to his YouTube channel on Thursday.
The advertisement focuses on the story of Calandrian Simpson Kemp, a Texas mother whose 20-year-old son, George, was shot and killed in September 2013. The ad buy cost Bloomberg more than $10 million, according to Politico.
In the ad, Simpson Kemp tells the story of her son, who was an aspiring football player.
“He would wake up every Saturday, ready for the game,” Simpson Kemp said. “That became our life. He had aspirations about going to the NFL.”
On a Friday morning, George was shot. George didn’t survive,” she continued.
She went on to describe what happened as not just an issue that affects her, but a national crisis. The ad poses a figure stating 2,900 children die each year due to gun violence.
The focus of the ad then shifts to an endorsement of Bloomberg, praising his history of support for gun control measures and his decision to run in the 2020 presidential election.
“When I heard Mike was stepping into the ring I thought, ‘Now we have a dog in the fight,'” Simpson Kemp said. “I know Mike is not afraid of the gun lobby. They’re scared of him . . . and they should be.”
The ad will reportedly run against President Donald Trump’s own 30-second spot in which he touts his economic success, citing claims of the best wage growth in a decade and unemployment reaching a 49 year low in America.
Bloomberg, who has spent millions in ads specifically attacking Trump, notably avoided the president in his latest commercial.
“I chose to devote the entire sixty-second ad to gun safety because it matters to communities across the country and it will be a top priority for me as president,” Bloomberg said in a campaign statement. “Calandrian’s story is a powerful reminder of the urgency of this issue and the failure of Washington to address it.”
Bloomberg went on to say “People will be rooting for different teams in the Super Bowl, but virtually all Americans — including people in both parties and a majority of gun owners — support universal background checks and other common sense gun laws.”
Past Super Bowls have typically been more oriented towards funny, brand oriented advertising content. The presence of two political candidates airing presidential aids may come as something of a departure from that norm. According to Politico, other prospective Democratic candidates are also expected to air campaign ads during the big game as it precedes Monday’s anticipated Iowa Democratic caucus.
