Rudy Eyes Women Voters
The CBS News Political Unit is tracking campaign commercials in key races around the country. Francesca Gessner analyzes a new effort by New York mayor and U.S. Senate hopeful Rudolph Giuliani.
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The Ad: Twelve Seconds began airing February 10 in upstate New York, and a radio version began airing the next day in New York City suburbs. The 30-second ad is Giuliani's seventh campaign commercial.
Audio: Giuliani: "It happens once every 12 seconds - a savage act of violence where a man beats a woman; a crime where the scars of memory are hard to erase. But outrage isn't enough when these threats to women don't stop. That's why weve launched the 24-hour hotline to help women in trouble, use electronic bracelets to track past offenders, shield victims with state-of-the-art security and take domestic violence out from behind closed doors. We've reduced crime on the streets. Now we must reduce it in our homes."
Visual: The ad opens with the image of a suburban, middle-class home. The words, "Once every twelve seconds," move across the screen while Giuliani's voice is heard. The ad then cuts to a close-up of a young white woman's face, then another white woman and finally an ethnic mother and child, possibly Hispanic.
Next, Giuliani is seen in an office environment, dressed in a blue shirt and tie (without a jacket). He speaks directly to the camera: "Outrage isn't enough when these threats to women don't stop." A series of images and text highlighting the mayor's domestic-violence initiatives follows: a female phone operator with the words "N.Y.s Citywide Hotline ... First of Its Kind in America"; Giuliani speaking at a podium with the words, "Electronic bracelets to track released offenders"; finally, an image of a suburban house with the text, "New home security systems keep offenders away."
We return to Giuliani sitting in his office, speaking directly to the camera: "Weve reduced crime on the streets. Now, we must reduce it in our homes." Soft piano and flute music plays in the background throughout the ad.
Fact Check: No inaccuracies.
The Strategy: The ad is clearly an attempt to appeal to women, coming on the heels of a poll released last week showing Giuliani and Hillary Clinton virtually tied among female voters overall, and Giuliani leading Mrs. Clinton 52 percent to 34 percent among white women. In addition to attracting women, Giuliani's ad builds on his strong crime-fighting reputation while drawing attention to his lesser-known domestic-violence initiatives. By acknowledging the continued prevalence of domestic violence, the ad thus attempts to turn a potential weak spot for the mayor into a source of strength.