by Edward Felker
WASHINGTON -- Republican congressional candidate Martin Ozinga III opened up the ad wars in the 11th Congressional District on Wednesday, unveiling his first television spot to run on regional cable networks.
Ozinga is facing state Sen. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, and Green Party candidate Jason Wallace of Bloomington in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris.
The 30-second commercial introduces voters to Ozinga, a relative political newcomer from Homer Glen mostly known as president of the Ozinga Bros. concrete company. The company's distinctive red trucks are featured in various scenes showing Ozinga in his role as a businessman. "We wanted the first spot to focus completely on introducing Marty to people in a personal way," campaign manager Andy Sere said.
The ad, which is to run in Will, Kankakee, Grundy and La Salle counties, makes no mention of Halvorson or Wallace. It was also posted to the campaign's YouTube account, which also includes other Ozinga video shorts that have not been broadcast.
Sere said the campaign is sending a companion mail piece to homes identified by the campaign as likely to vote this fall. He declined to detail the amount spent or the number of homes that will receive the mailer.
There was no immediate reaction available from the Halvorson campaign.
