Rhode Island candidates look to TV ads to sell themselves to voters

Rhode Island’s airwaves are getting increasingly crowded as more candidates launch ad campaigns in a more-than-$3-million battle for voters’ attention ahead of the Sept. 9 primary.

Barrington Rep. Jason Knight on Friday became the third Democrat running to be Rhode Island’s next attorney general to make his TV debut in the four-way race. The 30-second spot begins with Knight recounting the moment he learned of a shooting in 1994 at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Brookline, Massachusetts, where his wife worked.

At the time, Knight was serving aboard a submarine in the Atlantic Ocean when he learned of the shooting. His wife was unharmed, but he noted that “others weren’t so lucky.” The experience, he said, motivated his work in the Rhode Island General Assembly to codify Roe v. Wade protections into state law and fight for the passage of a law banning the manufacture and sale of certain semi-automatic weapons.

“That tragedy changed us forever,” Knight says in a voiceover. “As your attorney general, I’ll never stop fighting to protect women’s rights and keep us safe.”

Knight’s campaign is spending over $128,000 for 706 ad broadcast airings through the primary election, according to filings made with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The commercial will begin to air on WPRI along with The CW, myRITV, and Fox affiliate WNAC beginning Saturday.

Knight, a former prosecutor who has represented parts of Barrington and Warren in the House for the past decade, will have the top spot on the list of four Democrats appearing on the Sept. 9 ballot. Below him will be Keith Hoffmann, Rep. Joe Solomon, and Kim Ahern.

While first on the ballot, two of his Democratic opponents have already beaten Knight to the airwaves

Hoffmann, a former chief of policy and senior counsel at the AG’s office, was the first out with an ad, landing a spot in July as part of a $1 million media campaign. FCC filings show Hoffmann’s campaign has purchased over $412,000 worth of ads across Rhode Island’s broadcast and cable TV networks.

Ahern, the former prosecutor who headed the state’s Cannabis Control Commission, aired her debut ad the following week. FCC filings show Ahern’s campaign has spent over $104,000 on television commercials.

Solomon remains the only candidate without a record of ad purchases. Shastery Gonzalez Pena, a spokesperson for the Solomon campaign, said in an email Friday that TV ads would be airing statewide in the coming weeks.

Early voting begins Aug. 20 — the same week Xay Khamsyvoravong, a Newport city councilor and former mayor of the City by the Sea, will begin his ad blitz in the five-way Democratic race for lieutenant governor.

FCC filings show Khamsyvoravong’s campaign has reserved $119,890 for 377 commercials across Rhode Island’s major networks and cable.

But the former Newport mayor can’t say he’s the first in his contest to go on TV. Former state Sen. Cindy Coyne earned that honor after spending $500 for two commercial spots on WNAC during the July 31 debate hosted by WPRI-TV, which shares broadcast operations with the Providence Fox affiliate.

FCC filings show Coyne’s campaign has reserved $10,770 for 45 spots across WJAR and Coastal ABC between Aug. 13 and 19.

The governor’s race remains the biggest TV matchup, with incumbent Dan McKee and Helena Buonanno Foulkes accounting for nearly two-thirds of all broadcast and cable spending in Rhode Island as of Friday. 

Over 70% of that spending has come from Foulkes, whose campaign has committed over $1.5 million into TV commercials since late May, according to Rhode Island Current’s review of FCC forms. McKee, who was the first of any candidate to air an ad this year, has so far spent $621,673 across Rhode Island’s broadcast and cable networks.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley remains the only local official on television. Filings show his campaign has spent over $469,000 on broadcast and cable ads. David Morales, his Democratic challenger, has said he has no intention of advertising on television.