Grooms Launches Second Ad

Fresh off of last week’s big endorsements from U.S. Reps. Mick Mulvaney and Jeff Duncan, the congressional campaign of S.C. Sen. Larry Grooms is on the air with its second ad of the Lowcountry special election.

Grooms’ second spot – first reported by The Politico – is entitled “Proven,” and features the candidate speaking directly to the camera about his social and fiscal conservatism.

“Yes, I’m a pro-life Christian conservative who knows D.C. spends too much,” Grooms says, adding “I’ll be a strong fiscal conservative in Congress fighting for our values. Our freedoms. Every policy. Every piece of legislation. Every. Single. Vote.”

Take a look …

(Click to play)

Grooms’ ad is much heavier on social conservative themes than we expected – sort of like former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford’s first ad was heavier on similar themes (albeit wrapped around his personal drama). Also Teddy Turner – one of the other front-running candidates in the race – has an ad up touting his support for “traditional marriage.”

Hmmmm …

Are GOP primary voters in the first congressional district more socially conservative than we thought? Because we now have multiple candidates making increasingly overt appeals to evangelical voters in their television advertisements. We’ve long recommended politicians discuss “fiscal values” over family ones (especially given the paucity of actual “family values” in South Carolina politics), but it looks as though the script in the crowded first district race is veering increasingly toward the Christian conservative end of the GOP spectrum.

Grooms is one of sixteen candidates seeking the Republican nomination for this seat, which was vacated earlier this year by newly appointed U.S. Sen. Tim Scott.

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