NASHVILLE - Republican gubernatorial hopeful Randy Boyd plans to air a new ad in a $500,000 broadcast and cable TV television buy times that key off with the start of the Olympics on Friday.
The 60-second spot, entitled "Grit," is intended to highlight the American Dream and focuses on various Americans' triumphs with Boyd's own rise from a one-time factory worker and first-generation college graduate whose first business failed before he became a successful millionaire entrepreneur.
Meanwhile, Boyd GOP rival, U.S. Rep. Diane Black, is booking some $1.4 million for July alone and last Sunday ran a pre-Super Bowl ad asking viewers to stand for the National Anthem. Another Republican, Williamson County businessman Bill Lee, is airing a biographical ad.
With the GOP field moving quickly to jump on television, the fourth major candidate, Republican state House Speaker Beth Harwell, told reporters that while she too will have ads, she will do so on her own timetable.
Boyd's campaign CEO, Chip Saltsman, said in a news release that Knoxville businessman and former state economic development commissioner's newest ad "is a testament to the American belief that any obstacle can be overcome with grit and determination.
"America loves an underdog success story and Tennesseans will see that Randy Boyd's story is of someone who started from scratch and worked night and day to earn his success as an entrepreneur and businessman."
The Boyd ad, which the campaign says will run until Feb. 25, begins with an announcer saying, "America loves an underdog, those who face unbeatable odds, those who face unbeatable odds who believe grit and determination can overcome any obstacle, finding triumph even in failure."
Beginning visuals include screen shots of early air flights, the moon landing and a female skater as the announcer adds: "That's what makes American the land of opportunity."
The announcer then says "and right here in Tennessee, Randy Boyd has lived that American Dream," as the ad shows images of Boyd growing up, early work life and beside his wife, Jenny, noting that with the company they started "26 years and hundreds of jobs later, their comeback is a story of success."
Images include shots of Boyd, a marathoner, running. The candidate ran across the state in stages after kicking off his effort last year.
Boyd started Radio Systems Corporation, a Knoxville-based pet products company that now employs more than 700 people worldwide, under brands including PetSafe, SportDog and InvisibleFence.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow on Twitter @AndySher1.