Two N.C. ads up for awards

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:46:37 -0500

Two North Carolina political ads from the past year are finalists for national awards.

One commercial is for Congressman Walter Jones and it features the endorsement by former Marine Ilario Pantano, who was initially accused of killing two suspected Iraqi insurgents. The charges were later dropped when a military tribunal found there was no credible evidence, Rob Christensen reports.

"When this Marine was in a jam and there was a rush to judgement to take away my liberty," Pantano said, "Walter Jones came to my defense."

The ad was created by Rotterman & Associates, the Raleigh-based political consulting firm headed by the husband-wife team of Marc and Karen Rotterman. The ad is one of three finalists for Republican congressional candidates.

Another finalist is the rocking chair ad run by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee against Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

That ad featured two elderly men at Bynum General Store in Chatham County speculating on whether Dole was 92 or 93. The men were actually speculating on effectiveness ratings and the percentage of time she voted with President Bush — not her age.

The ad was produced by Squier Knapp Dunn Communications of Washington, D.C. It is a finalist in the category of state candidate races.

The winner of the Reed Awards, sponsored by Campaigns & Elections, will be announced at a dinner in Washington on Jan. 22.

Jones' 'Pantano' ad

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:59:54 -0400

Marine veteran Ilario Pantano speaks for U.S. Rep. Walter Jones in his latest TV ad.