Minnesota voters are pushing back against a final ad released by Democrat Angie Craig, who claims in her commercial that Minnesotans are known for saying “there’s nothing that can’t be solved over a beer.”
“We’ve got a saying in Minnesota: there’s nothing that can’t be solved over a beer,” Craig says in her new ad, though many voters were just hearing the catchphrase for the first time.
“I have to say that I’ve never heard this Minnesota saying that anything can be worked out over a beer. I mean, aren’t we known for treatment centers,” one voter commented on social media, referring to Minnesota’s world-renowned Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
“I had the same reaction. Lived here the vast majority of my life and have never heard this phrase,” another replied. One voter, who said she plans to support Craig in the election, questioned if that’s “really something we say in Minnesota.”
But Craig doubled-down on the ad, tweeting out a picture Sunday of her watching the Minnesota Vikings game in a flannel.
“Despite political party or team loyalty, reaching out across the aisle starts with football and a beer,” she wrote, but again received criticism for her comments.
Cheered on the @Vikings in Lakeville with @LittleSenator and folks in Cottage Grove. Despite political party or team loyalty, reaching across the aisle starts with football and a beer! #SKOL #MN02 pic.twitter.com/Hr2rLr9j9m
— Angie Craig (@AngieCraigMN) November 4, 2018
“You can tell she’s just a down to earth girl with working class sensibilities because she’s wearing a flannel. You know how us working folks love flannel,” one Minnesotan responded to the picture.
Republican Jason Lewis and his campaign ridiculed Craig for her commercial, saying that “the Craig you see on your TV is a manufactured candidate, made to fit the mold her Washington elite demand.”
“And what they demand is a feel-good candidate with no policies to speak of and no firm plans to move this country forward,” Lewis’ campaign manager, Becky Alery said in a press release. “Gone are the pantsuits, in come the checkered shirts and puffy vests.”
Lewis later released a video addressing the ad, saying Craig “likes to drink beer, hire fake actors, and put on a show.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRcT9KlSK0E&feature=youtu.be
“Politics isn’t play acting. It has a real impact on people’s lives. That’s why it matters. Angie Craig should quit faking it and tell people the truth,” Lewis states in the video. “You know, while she’s still at the bar, I’ll stay out here being honest with voters.”
Most polls show the candidates, who faced off for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District in 2016, in a tight race, with Craig having an edge over Lewis.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
