Democrat Terry McAuliffe is similar to a creep who lies about his true identity — a “catfish” — according to a new College Republican National Committee ad meant to target young women voting in the Virginia gubernatorial race.
The spot, called “Terryfish,” is a parody of the MTV’s “Catfish,” a popular show among young females that exposes people who make fake profiles of themselves to seduce would-be lovers online through subterfuge.
“I met this guy named Terry online, and he’s been making a lot of promises,” a female actress says in the ad, shared first with The Daily Caller. “He’s just too good to be true. I just need to know the truth.”
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The political committee plans to release “Terryfish” on Monday and run it on sites like Hulu, Pandora and YouTube until Election Day.
By parodying MTV and taking the ad campaign to popular websites, the video’s target audience is obvious: young, female voters. The ad buy is worth 1.5 million impressions, specifically targeted to reach females aged 18 to 26.
“Our goal is to go where younger voters are and communicate in the language and the channels that are relevant to them,” CRNC chairman Alex Smith said in an interview on Sunday.
The parody shows a screen shot of an iPhone message from “The Macker” to the girl saying, “Hey girl, I’m going to create thousands of new jobs.”
But — like in the MTV show — the video reveals that girl has been deceived. “We think he’s misleading you. And a lot of others, too,” the actor playing the role of the show’s host says of McAuliffe.
The ad briefs viewers on several controversies that Republicans have used to slam McAuliffe, including the flop of his company, GreenTech. It also rehashes the embarrassing story of McAuliffe leaving his wife — after giving birth to one his children — in their car on the way home from the hospital so he could attend a fundraiser for Democrats.
At one point in the video, the actors visit a real McAuliffe for governor campaign office in Alexandria, Va.
“I want to know if he really did create jobs in Virginia. Is he really who he says he is?” the female actress asks the silent campaign staffers in the shot.
The ad ends with the host saying, “Terry McAuliffe is a real catfish. We figured that out.”
“Terryfish” is the CRNC’s first independent expenditure of the election cycle. Its targeting of female voters comes as McAuliffe’s campaign has repeatedly accused his Republican opponent Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s attorney general, of opposing women’s rights.
Voters head to the polls on Nov. 5.
