Ad: “Leader”
Candidate: Sharon Hurt
Transcript: Hurt: “As we’re choosing our next mayor, look past all the privilege [Gingrich and Wiltshire ads play on a TV] and ask yourself, what do these people believe? I’m Sharon Hurt, I believe in giving the janitor and the secretary the same respect as the CEO. I see our forgotten neighborhoods and struggling small businesses – and will lift them up. I’ve spent my career bringing people together. Helping them help themselves. Believing in them. I’m asking you to believe in me and Nashville’s promise for everyone.”
Analysis: A week after endorsements from retired state senator Brenda Gilmore and Davidson County Clerk Brenda Wynn, Hurt runs her first TV spot. In a similar vein of Freddie O’Connell’s “Are You Ready For It” ad, Hurt’s ad criticizes the wealth fueling other mayoral candidates’ TV ads. Hurt tells the watcher to “look past all the privilege” while the ads of the two best funded candidates — Jim Gingrich and Matt Wiltshire — play on a TV. Hurt implies that the other Mayors will represent CEOs, not janitors and secretaries, not those with less. Hurt promises to bring people together, a familiar political theme that other candidates have promised. This ad is all about personality. While some campaigns have dug in on issues like gun violence (Jeff Yarbro and Wiltshire) or out of control growth (O’Connell and Gingrich), Hurt is betting that the candidate matters more than the policy.
Where people can see it: Broadcast TV and digital