Gov. Peter Shumlin is out with the first television advertisement of his reelection campaign.
The professionally produced 30-second spot features short testimonials from five residents. They tout the second-term governor’s performance on issues ranging from Tropical Storm Irene to college affordability.
Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux praises the Democratic governor’s treatment-first approach to the state’s opiate abuse problem. Brittany LeBeau – the ad says she’s working two jobs while attending school – says a minimum-wage increase passed by lawmakers “will help people like me a lot.”
Republican challenger Scott Milne was the first to hit the TV airwaves this election cycle with a 30-second ad that ran for a week in late August. Milne spent about $20,000 to air the commercials.
Shumlin’s campaign isn’t saying how much it’s spending to air the ad, or how much it cost to produce it.
According to the most recent finance reports, Shumlin’s campaign is sitting on about $1.1 million. The figure far surpasses the campaign accounts of his two best-known opponents, Milne and Libertarian Party candidate Dan Feliciano, neither of whom had more than $20,000 in the bank, according to their latest finance reports.
In a written statement, Feliciano said Shumlin’s TV ad glosses over the severe problems facing the residents of the state.
“The reality is Governor Shumlin’s failed leadership is what is hurting Vermonters, but Peter Shumlin will reach into his million dollar war chest and run endless ads spinning a false narrative and trying to convince hard working Vermonters that his big Government programs are the solutions to their problems,” Feliciano said.
