Siblings of a conservative US politician have created an election campaign urging viewers not to vote for him
AN AD attacking a conservative US politician has racked up thousands of views and caused a stir online because of its stunning twist.
ARIZONA Congressman Paul Gosar, is a right-wing conservative Republican standing for re-election in November.
Gosar has his opponents, as do all politicians — but in Gosar’s case, the most vocal are his own family.
His six brothers and sisters haven’t only chosen to support his political rival, David Brill, who is a Democrat, they have gone and filmed a TV advertisement urging people not to vote for their brother.
The TV ad introduces us to David, Tim, Jennifer, Gaston, Joan, and Grace — all seemingly ordinary Arizonians who state why they won’t be getting behind candidate Paul Gosar.
Grace, a rural physician says: “Paul Gosar the congressman isn’t doing anything to support rural America.”
“Paul’s absolutely not working for his district,” adds David, a lawyer.
Jennifer, medical interpreter claims if Gosar actually cared about people in rural Arizona, “I bet he’d be fighting for social security, for better access to healthcare. What is the most insightful water policy to help the environment of Arizona sustain itself?”
“He’s not listening to you and he does not have your best interests at heart,” then says Tim, a private investigator.
Then, shockingly, the six ordinary Arizonians reveal their surname — they are all Gosars. Yep, the same Gosar as the Republican Congressman.
“Paul Gosar is my brother,” they each reveal, “And I endorse Dr Brill.”
Local paper the Arizona Republic has called the ad “brutal” but “not unexpected”.
Gosar has sided with bigots after the violent neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville in August 2017, which left a young woman dead, by suggesting that it actually staged by Democrats and leftists to detract from Donald Trump.
He’s also floated other conspiracy theories and controversies including boycotting a 2015 speech to Congress by Pope Francis, who he criticised for acknowledging climate change.
Gosar then defended British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and called Muslim immigrants “disgusting and depraved”.
In the TV ad, titled “A family defends its honour”, David Gosar says: “We’ve got to stand up for our good name, this is not who we are.”
“It would be difficult to see my brother as anything but a racist,” Grace Gosar says.
The clip, which has also uploaded to YouTube, has already been viewed more than 650,000 times just one day after it was uploaded to the video-sharing site.
Representative Gosar won his district with 71 per cent of the vote in 2016, and is still considered likely to keep his seat, despite most of his family siding with David Brill.
This ad has to have the biggest wow moment of any political ad Iâve ever seen https://t.co/2wwTqygX15
â Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) September 21, 2018
Most stunning ad of the 2018 cycle?
â Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 21, 2018
Six family members of Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona star in an ad involving his re-election bid.
To endorse his OPPONENT, that is.https://t.co/hN40Y6083l
I've seen MANY attack ads over the years. However... I HAVE NEVER. EVER. EVER. Seen a video like this.
â Beatrice-Elizabeth Peterson (@MissBeaE) September 22, 2018
In the ad six of Rep. Paul Gosar siblings endorsed his opponent @Brill4Congress. pic.twitter.com/xFpTvidEtg
I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next Gosar family dinner now that six of Paul Gosarâs siblings endorsed the candidate running against him. New level of cold-blooded pic.twitter.com/E17KNX3bgy
â Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 22, 2018
And since he’s one of 10 siblings, perhaps he still has the support of the three who haven’t spoken out against him in public.