Steve Hilton's 'Just Try It' Ad on Mail Voting Denounced by Republicans
- California GOP candidate Steve Hilton releases a bizarre, sexually suggestive digital ad featuring two young women 'trying' mail-in voting.
- Fellow Republicans condemn the spot as 'creepy, weird, and disturbing garbage' that alienates voters.
- Political consultants compare the ad to infamous campaign disasters like the 'Demon Sheep' and the 'I'm not a witch' spot.
- Hilton, currently trailing significantly in the polls, claims the ad is 'genius' despite widespread backlash.
Brief Summary
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has ignited a firestorm of controversy with a new campaign ad that uses heavy sexual innuendo to encourage mail-in voting. The video, which mimics the aesthetic of a soft-core romance scene, features two young women discussing a secret act that turns out to be casting a ballot for Hilton. The ad has left both Republicans and Democrats baffled, with members of his own party calling it an embarrassment and a prime example of why voters are fleeing the GOP.
Why This Matters
This story serves as a stark reminder of how desperate, failing political campaigns often resort to 'shock marketing' to gain relevance when traditional polling fails. If you are a voter, this highlights the growing trend of campaigns prioritizing viral, polarizing content over substantive policy debates. While this specific ad is being dismissed as a political death rattle, it illustrates the increasingly bizarre and hyper-performative nature of modern elections, where a candidate's ability to manufacture a 'moment' is often valued more than their ability to govern.