California Sen. Alex Padilla is campaigning hard — just not for himself.
“We’ve got to keep this momentum going, and I’ll let you know when the next election starts,” said Mr. Padilla, a self-described “tea party liberal” in a recent radio ad that focused on the budget. “I’m just doing me, and I’ve got to do what the people say.”
Mr. Padilla’s campaign has gained national attention for an unusual alliance with a tea party group, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). In exchange for the ad, the group agreed to promote his Senate campaign.
While the ads will appear in Arizona, the ad in Arizona will also appear on radio stations across the nation.
“We are excited about the advertising on the radio — that is something that we have never done before,” said Tom Nierras, a spokesman for ALEC, in an email. “The ads are being sponsored by many groups, including the Tea Party and the Arizona Tea Party.”
The ads will feature his opponent, Sen. Russell Pearce, a conservative Democrat from Pinal County.
Mr. Padilla, a former Pima County supervisor and attorney, has been running a campaign that’s been compared to a tea party run.
But his campaign has been taking a different approach: He’s running as someone who supports the state constitution and would not run on a platform that would ban gay marriage or abortion. Instead, he’s emphasizing his fiscal and social justice stances.
He’s been campaigning on his website, which is called “The Padilla Way: The Straightforward Version of ‘Change.’ “
His campaign slogan is: “Vote in November for people who care about what matters in your life.”
The ads have been running throughout the state and in a number of media markets, including:
The Phoenix Gazette, Phoenix, Ariz.
The Tucson Citizen, Tucson, Ariz.
The Tucson newspaper in Mexico, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
The Daily Journal, Tucson, Ari
