Michael Bloomberg unveils Super Bowl ad highlighting his efforts to combat gun violence
Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg unveiled a new ad set to air during Sunday's Super Bowl that highlights his efforts combating gun violence.
The 60-second ad, titled "George," first aired on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday. The spot features Calandrian Simpson Kemp, whose son, George Kemp Jr., was shot and killed in September 2013 during an altercation with armed men. He was 20 years old and dreamed of playing football in the NFL.
Calandrian Simpson Kemp first met Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, in January 2019 during an event in Austin, Texas, according to his presidential campaign. She is a member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which merged with Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns in 2013.
"Mike's fighting for every child, because you have a right to live," she says in the ad. "No one has a right to take your hopes and dreams."
Bloomberg said in a statement he decided to focus on gun safety in the ad "because it matters to communities across the country and it will be a top priority for me as president."
"Calandrian's story is a powerful reminder of the urgency of this issue and the failure of Washington to address it," he said. "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."
Bloomberg's campaign said it will share more videos that feature survivors of gun violence from 12 states this week. The campaign is also launching a bus tour Monday that coincides with National Gun Violence Survivors Week, which is the first week of February. The tour will start in Florida and stop in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.
The ad set to air during Super Bowl LIV cost roughly $10 million and will be shown once. But the commercial from Bloomberg won't be the only one from a presidential candidate. The Trump campaign also plans to spend $10 million on its own 60-second spot during the game.
While the ad will air just before the Iowa caucuses February 3, Bloomberg, who is self-financing his campaign, is forgoing both the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries to focus on states with more delegates.
Bloomberg's Super Bowl commercial is likely to be seen by viewers — and voters — around the country, as it is watched by roughly 100 million people annually.
