U.S. Navy SEAL turned congressman Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) released a new joint campaign ad with other Texas Republican congressional candidates on Thursday which features a HALO skydiving jump, martial arts, and high tech gadgets.
The ad, titled “Texas Reloaded – Greatest joint campaign ad in history” and made to look like an action movie, portrays Crenshaw’s mission to assemble a team of first-time Republican candidates, consisting of: Former U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot Wesley Hunt, former F-22 combat pilot and U.S. Air Force Col. August Pfluger, former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne, former U.S. Navy Master Chief and cyber warfare specialist Tony Gonzales, and business woman Genevieve Collins.
Crenshaw, who won his congressional seat in 2018, begins his mission by opening a “TOP SECRET” envelope containing a phone that details his mission. The incumbent Crenshaw has the goal to gather the team of first-time congressional candidates running in the November 3, 2020 election.
Crenshaw, who lost his right eye in a 2012 improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Afghanistan and who now wears an eye patch, made a joking reference to the combat injury by lifting the eye patch to reveal a high-tech holographic scanner that analyzes the mission information.
In the next shot, Crenshaw is suited up for a skydive over Houston, Texas, where Hunt is running.
After landing from a freefall skydiving jump, Crenshaw approaches Hunt, who is sitting in the seat of an AH-64 Apache helicopter, smoking a cigar.
“I’m putting a team together Wesley,” Crenshaw says. “You in?”
Hunt replies, “You know I wouldn’t miss this for the world right?”
Hunt then says, “I think August is going to want to come too,” before Pfluger slides out from under the helicopter on a mechanic’s creeper board.
“You guys looking for a real pilot?” Pfluger, the retired F-22 fighter pilot, says. “Let me get cleaned up.”
The ad cuts to another shot of Crenshaw, Hunt and Pfluger walking, and Crenshaw asks, “If you were an F-22 pilot, what were you doing working under a helicopter.”
“I have no idea what I was doing,” Pfluger admits, before joking, “But typical Air Force, fixing the Army’s problems.”
Hunt then jokes, “Dan bro, you could’ve just texted me man. Why have you got to jump out of airplanes.”
“Because its cooler to jump — nevermind,” Crenshaw replies.
The ad then cuts to the assembled team meeting with Van Duyne.
“Hey Beth,” Crenshaw says, interrupting Van Duyne as she presents an award to a police officer in Fort Worth. “. . . When you’re finished over there, Texas could use your help.”
The team then heads to San Antonio, where Gonzales, the retired cyber warfare specialist, is inputting code in a server room. As Gonzales is about to finish his task, his computer dies and Crenshaw reveals that he has pulled the plugs connecting the server room.
“Hey Tony,” Crenshaw says, holding the disconnected power cable, “Texas has a better use for your talents.”
The ad then cuts to Dallas, where Collins is sparring in a martial arts dojo, before she flips her opponent on his back.
“Hi guys,” Collins says, after looking up from her opponent. “Who’s next?”
The military veterans all shake their heads, while Van Duyne willingly steps onto the mats.
The ad then cuts to a screen that says: “TEAM ASSEMBLED. AWAITING NEXT OBJECTIVE.”
The ad cuts again to the team of Republican candidates, walking towards the camera as helicopters fly past and a fiery explosion rocks the background.
“If you don’t live in Texas, this ad will make you want to move here,” the ad’s YouTube description reads. “Greatest joint campaign in history. The mission? Save Texas by recruiting the greatest congressional candidates in history.”
