Did Jeb Bush repackage a 2014 Marilinda Garcia campaign ad? You make the call
Washington Times reporter Kelly Riddell accuses the Jeb Bush campaign of repackaging a campaign ad from Marilinda Garcia’s unsuccessful 2nd District congressional campaign:
“Voicing disgust with D.C. politicians and insiders? Check. Offering to challenge that status quo? Check. Demonstrating bona fides, complete with quotes pulled from editorials? Check. A call to action, set to soaring music? Check.
Jeb Bush’s first presidential commercial, dubbed “I’ve Delivered,” looks and feels almost identical to lesser-known Republican candidate Marilinda Garcia’s campaign ad called “Trust.” Ms. Garcia lost her bid last year for a House seat from New Hampshire, but her commercial, it seems, lives on — repackaged for Mr. Bush.
Both campaigns did use the same media consultant, FP1 Strategies, a high-profile Republican political consulting and full-service media firm. Bush’s campaign manager, Danny Diaz, is a founding partner at FP1. He is taking a leave of absence to manage the Bush campaign.
According to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, the Garcia campaign paid FP1 Strategies more than $50,000 for services that included video creation and media consulting.
Bush has spent much more on the group. In August, Sunlight Foundation reported his campaign had paid FP1 $350,000 for media production services. His Right to Rise super PAC paid the group another $380,000.
Politico reports Bush and his super PAC have spent at least $4.8 million on television and radio advertising in New Hampshire since early September – without moving the needle on his poll numbers.
Belknap County GOP Chair Alan Glassman was not impressed. “I’ve seen Mr. Bush’s ads, and they’re not cutting through, in my point of view,” he told Riddell. “The vast majority of people … won’t be convinced to vote for Bush based on that ad.”
Update: Rift Media, a creative, marketing and consulting firm based in Nashville, Tennessee, has stepped forward to take credit for producing the Garcia ad. “While Garcia’s campaign utilized FP1 for campaign ads during her general election campaign,” a spokesperson wrote, “we here at Rift Media produced ‘Trust’ during Garcia’s primary election campaign.” The ad is featured on their website.