By Tim Binnall
In an amusing combination of the paranormal and politics, a Congressional candidate in Minnesota has released a rather clever commercial that stars Bigfoot. Produced by the campaign of Democrat Dean Phillips, the odd ad takes aim at his opponent, GOP incumbent Erik Paulsen, in the race for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District seat. Arguing that his Republican adversary has been particularly elusive when it comes to meeting with constituents, the commercial enlists the legendary cryptid known for being 'hard to find' in an ingenious way of making that point to viewers at home.
The ad begins with Bigfoot musing that "I thought I was good at hiding ... then Erik Paulsen comes along." In a nod to the decades-long search for Sasquatch, the creature subsequently marvels "how can you have tens of thousands of people looking for you all the time and not one of them find you?" Puzzled by Paulsen's purported 'ability' to go unseen, the Bigfoot then sets out on a mission to prove that the politician actually exists.
What follows is a wildly funny twist on the reality show staple of 'Bigfoot hunting' with the Sasquatch lurking in the lobby of a pharmaceutical company and hoping to capture the 'mythical' Paulsen on film. As if to confirm Phillips' charge that his opponent is indebted to big business donors, the creature celebrates when his stakeout at the corporation takes only seven minutes rather than the weeks that he had expected. The commercial culminates with the candidate being 'captured on film' and the stupefied Sasquatch declaring "Erik Paulsen really exists."
We'll leave it up to the pundits in Minnesota to parse out the legitimacy of Phillips' critique of his opponent. That said, there should be little debate that, as far as political ads go, the commercial is a surefire winner since it's hard to forget a testimonial coming from Sasquatch. Whether the famed cryptid can bring the voters out to the polls in November, though, remains to be seen.