House races

GOP candidate’s ‘House of Cards’-inspired ad

GOP House candidate Carl DeMaio (Calif.) unveiled an advertisement late Thursday modeled after those made for Netflix’s popular series “House of Cards.”

“When I say no special exemptions for Congress, I. Mean. It,” says the photographic ad, which was posted on his campaign Facebook account. 

“House of Cards” has marketed its hit show with ads using a similar visual featuring the main character, Frank Underwood, portrayed by actor Kevin Spacey. The political thriller follows Underwood, the former Democratic House Majority Whip, who has now plotted his way into the White House as vice president.

{mosads}DeMaio’s ad was dubbed “House of Carl” and displays his website ReformCongressNow.com. 

DeMaio is openly gay, and announced his bid for Congress last May. He’s running in a highly competitive race against Democratic incumbent Rep. Scott Peters (Calif.). 

The district covers parts of San Diego, where DeMaio once served as a city councilman and made a failed run for mayor, losing to disgraced now-former Mayor Bob Filner (D) in 2012. 

“The dysfunction in Washington may make for good entertainment, but it has real life impacts,” DeMaio wrote next to his new ad. “Time to clean up the mess.”