Green Party Candidate to Run TV Ads, Break Media Blackout
Green Party candidate to begin running TV ads, attempts to break imposed media blackout on alternative political parties
Dr. Forrest Hill, Green Party candidate for Secretary of State, will begin running television ads in the Bay Area on Monday Oct 8. This will be the first time that a Green Party candidate for statewide office has run TV ads in California.
The ad features shots of Forrest running up San Francisco's Twin Peaks, by Oakland's Lake Merritt, along the Altamont Pass, and through downtown Sacramento. It ends with the tag line "Forrest won't stop running until we have free and fair elections."
Forrest's supporters in the Green Party and the LGBT community are hosting several fundraisers over the next two weeks to help raise more money for advertising. The campaign plans on using the money to air the ad in Southern California and the Sacramento Area.
"By getting our ad placed on television, we hope to generate more mainstream coverage of our campaign," said Dr. Hill.
"It is very difficult to break the blackout imposed by the media on anyone running outside the two major parties," stated Dr. Hill. "Our goal is to create enough buzz around our campaign to force the media to take us more seriously."
A recent field poll for the Secretary of State race, which excluded all third party candidates, showed that 72 percent of voters had 'no opinion' about the Republican incumbent, Bruce McPherson, and 84 percent had 'no opinion' about the Democratic challenger, Debra Bowen.
"Very few people have made up their mind about the Secretary of State's race," said Dr. Hill. "This race is as much about name recognition as it is about the issues, and I believe that if our ad is seen by enough voters it can tip the balance of support in our favor."