To showcase the plight of Black citizens living in Democratic-run Baltimore, Republican congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik took a simple approach: a walk through Baltimore’s downtown.
In a two-and-a-half minute video, Klacik (pronounced “CLAY-sick”) showcased Baltimore’s run-down buildings, asked citizens their thoughts on defunding police, and explained many of the issues facing the city.
https://twitter.com/kimKBaltimore/status/1295461903268040707
“Do you care about Black lives? The people who run Baltimore don’t,” Klacik said.
She went on to showcase what she called “the reality for black people every single day,” which included “crumbling infrastructure, abandoned homes, poverty, and crime.”
Klacik stated Baltimore has been run by the Democratic Party for 53 years and is one of the top 5 most dangerous cities in the country. She noted the murder rate is ten times the national average, the poverty rate is 20%, and homicide, drug, and alcohol deaths up.
Klacik criticized the Democratic Party, saying that “the vast majority of crime in Baltimore is perpetrated against black people, who make up 60% of the population. So why don’t we care about our communities? The Democrat Party has betrayed the black people of Baltimore.” She went on to say “It’s not just in Baltimore, the worst place for a Black person to live in America is in a Democrat-controlled city.”
In conversations with several black residents of the city about defunding the police one man told Klacik that he’d lost three sons in Baltimore and if the police were defunded this would be much worse than that.
The advertisement was so effective that media analyst Jeff Ballingall said Klacik outperformed former First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.
“By digital metrics, Michelle Obama bombed at the DNC last night. The former first lady was completely outdone by an unknown house candidate, @kimKBaltimore” Ballingall said on Twitter. “Michelle Obama, despite being promoted by the traditional media giants, couldn’t scratch the virality of Klacik.”
By digital metrics, Michelle Obama bombed at the DNC last night. The former first lady was completely outdone by an unknown house candidate, @kimKBaltimore.
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— Jeff Ballingall (@JeffBallingall) August 18, 2020
Ballingall then explained how much better Klacik did in later tweets noting that “even on Twitter, Klacik has 25% more views than Michelle Obama.”
President Trump quickly endorsed Klacik after the ad was posted.
Kimberly will work with the Trump Administration and we will bring Baltimore back, and fast. Don’t blow it Baltimore, the Democrats have destroyed your city! https://t.co/PDdjgxbIHu
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2020
Klacik is a Republican congressional candidate from Maryland’s 7th district. She is running against Democratic incumbent Kweisi Mfume, who was elected to office in May 2020 after the death of Elijah Cummings. Mfume was first elected in 1986 and was re-elected through 1996, when he resigned in April to become the CEO of the NAACP. Cummings replaced Mfume in a special election in April 1996 and served until his passing in October, 2019.
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Ben Kolodny is a reporter for The Ohio Star and the Star News Network. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Tips can be sent to [email protected].
Photo “Kim Klacik” by Kim Klacik. Background Photo “Kim Klacik Campaign Ad” by Kim Klacik.
