Democrat Dan Helmer is vying to unseat Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District – and the widely unknown Democratic hopeful made some waves this week, but not for the right reason.
In a recently released campaign video, Helmer, a U.S. Army veteran, performed a parody of the the bar scene in “Top Gun” where Maverick sings “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” to Charlie.
In Helmer’s incredibly awkward rendition, he sings “You’ve Lost That Centrist Feelin’” to a woman who is supposed to be Comstock.
The Washington Post has already dubbed it “cringe-worthy,” and Slate has decided it’s “the worst ad of the 2018 elections.”
But Twitter can’t agree on whether it’s horrible or genius.
I've seen a lot of campaign ads. A lot. This might be the worst I've ever seen. https://t.co/gnqaKf5Aj0
— Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) September 18, 2017
I don't know who this Dan Helmer fellow is, but I hope he loses by two billion votes https://t.co/QqqWCw9Hel
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 18, 2017
From a PR view this ad is pretty awesome. Nobody had heard of Dan Helmer before today.
— Alexandra Halaby (@iskandrah) September 18, 2017
That Dan Helmer ad has succeeded in its mission of informing Twitter that a vet named Dan Helmer is running against a vulnerable GOP rep
— Will Rahn (@willrahn) September 18, 2017
See for yourself below:
Oh, FFS.
This is actually pretty damn effective.
So bad it’s good!
If the goal is to get his name out there, he’s succeeded. If he can follow up with something good now that he’s known, it might be smart.
Apparently from the Tweets, this ad fried a few wingnuts. The more it bothers them, the better. Helmer’s got a year to minimize the negative effects if any. That works for me.