It's ten days before primary voting begins in Washington and Kim Schrier, one of the top three Democrats running for Congress in the 8th District, is first out the gate with some TV ads.
"The TV ads will start running on all the major network broadcast stations in the Seattle market and cable within the district on Tuesday. Digital will run on Hulu, YouTube, Facebook, etc.," says Schrier's spokeswoman, Katie Rodihan.
Let's check these puppies out:
The ads are called "Every Day" and "Right," and both aim to show how Schrier's experience as a pediatrician exposes her to inequities in the health care system. "Every Day" is more personal, introducing her as a doctor and a Type 1 diabetic who has faced increased prescription drug costs.
"Right" is the only one of the two ads that dings "Trump's attacks on health care," and it more or less sums up Schrier's health care policy.
People who unconditionally support Medicare for All often use the tagline "health care is a human right." In this ad, Schrier echoes that language, but not fully. She says she wants to "protect Medicare and let everyone into it" because "health care is a right." This not-quite-Medicare-for-All language aligns with the extensive and expanded policy proposals Schrier has added to her website, which include "allowing every citizen and employer to participate in Medicare as a public option on their state’s health exchange," shoring up Obamacare, requiring "drug companies to provide the same drugs at the same prices negotiated by Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA to all Americans," and a lot more.
Polling indicates that Republican Dino Rossi enjoys the highest name recognition in the district. Schrier's currently ahead of the other two top Democratic challengers—Shannon Hader and Jason Rittereiser—and this early ad blitz might help increase and maintain her lead in that arena. If she keeps it up with the TV ads, she may decrease the impact of any advantage Hader earned by completely sweeping the Legislative District endorsements, as well as whatever bump in popularity Rittereiser received when Rachel Maddow amplified his law firm's offer of free legal services to federal agents who want to conscientiously object to Trump's family separation policy.
