Riordan to Air First TV Ad of Gubernatorial Campaign

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan will air the first paid television advertising of California’s gubernatorial campaign today.

The 60-second spot paints a glowing picture of Riordan’s eight years in Los Angeles City Hall and ends with a familiar phrase: “Tough enough to turn California around.” In Riordan’s 1993 race for mayor, he won using the slogan “Tough enough to turn L.A. around,” a potent message in the midst of the recession and the immediate aftermath of the 1992 riots.

The new spot won’t air in Riordan’s hometown; the ad is running virtually everywhere in California save the costly Los Angeles television market, where Riordan is already a household name.

By taking to the television airwaves, the well-to-do Riordan flaunts one of his biggest advantages in the race against his GOP rivals, Secretary of State Bill Jones and businessman Bill Simon Jr.: significant resources and a willingness to spend generously on advertising, the chief means of communicating with voters in this far-flung state.

Jones has struggled to raise enough money to be competitive, and Simon, who has a considerable personal fortune of his own, has chosen to conserve money until closer to the March 5 primary. He is expected to start his advertising on radio, perhaps as early as next week.

Having hit the television airwaves, Riordan plans to keep advertising through the primary, according to his advisors. The average viewer will see the new spot from three to five times over the next week, a fairly modest buy.

Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, who delivers his State of the State speech tonight in Sacramento, is also expected to tap his considerable campaign resources and begin airing commercials before the primary. However, he may wait until after Jan. 19 when, by law, a lower advertising rate kicks in 45 days before the primary.

By taking to the airwaves now, Riordan will spend more money but may avoid much of the expected pre-primary clutter.

Although many Californians may be unaware of the looming primary, the TV campaign is actually starting relatively late by recent California standards.

For the 1998 gubernatorial campaign, Democrat Al Checchi began airing television advertisements nearly seven months before the primary; by this point in the four-way contest that year, the candidates for governor had already spent millions of dollars on commercials.

Unlike Checchi, Riordan hopes to avoid spending his own money, at least through the primary.Riordan campaign officials refused to discuss the size of the ad purchase, citing strategic considerations.