Ad: “ABC-NOE”
Candidate: Anti-Freddie O’Connell, paid for by Steve Smith
Transcript: “Remember A-B-C? Now it’s N-O-E. Not O’Connell Either. After eight years of representing Broadway, it’s still the same *bleep* different day. Nashville’s not ready for Freddie.”
Analysis: This attack ad on mayoral candidate Freddie O’Connell lands the same week O’Connell released his ad taking on “billionaires and bachelorettes,” implicitly criticizing how the tourist zone on Lower Broadway is out of control. Steve Smith, golfing buddy of Kid Rock and former President Donald Trump, paid for this ad, using the media firm of Jeff Eslick, a candidate for Metro Council in District 11. Smith took out the previous ad, calling for “Anybody But Cooper” to be the next mayor in January. With Cooper out of the way, he’s now sparring with O’Connell, who has represented the council district with Smith’s bars for eight years. As some have pointed out, going with N-O-E instead of D-E-F (for “Don’t-Elect-Freddie”) seems like a missed opportunity, but we here on the Banner Election Desk defer to those who specialize in attack ads. On social media, the ad appeared to be having the opposite effect of what Smith intended. The ad poses an interesting dilemma: Who are Nashville voters — the same folks polling shows believe the city has been going in the wrong direction — more likely to listen to: the guy running on getting Lower Broadway under control or the guy who owns some of the most popular Lower Broadway bars?
Where can you see it: Broadcast TV.