Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders released one last campaign ad before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1 and it’s getting some extra attention thanks to the song he uses.
The ad features an excerpt of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “America,” with images of voters attending Sanders’ events and the Des Moines skyline. It attempts to put the focus on Iowans, rather than the Democratic candidate. In fact, you only hear the distinctive voice of Sanders at the end, when he says, “I’m Bernie Sanders and I approve this message.”
The ad was released as Sanders tries to make up ground in the first caucuses of the year against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. According to Talking Points Memo, the latest Monmouth/KBUR poll of Democratic voters showed Clinton with 48 percent support and Sanders at 39 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley polled at 7 percent. Other polls have shown Sanders even leading Clinton.