Don Beyer’s ‘Cups’ Song Campaign Assist
How do you stand out in a crowded Democratic primary field with nearly a dozen well-connected, viable candidates?
Distribute a catchy ditty created by children of your family friends.
That’s what former Virginia Lt. Gov . Don Beyer is doing in the Democratic primary in Virginia’s open 8th District race.
Beyer, who recently finished up a stint as ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein, is one of 11 Democrats running to replace retiring Rep. James P. Moran in this heavily Democratic Northern Virginia House seat.
His campaign recently release a YouTube video created by Mae and John Keating, two middle-school students whose parents are friends of the Beyers, which touts Beyers’ credentials for the race. The video, released Feb. 17, already has more than 1,400 views.
https://youtu.be/1h_XpPM24Tc
“We need a leader for the long run now/someone who’s learned along the way/Don Beyer did it then he can do it all again/he’s asking for your vote, what’dya say?” the sibling singers say in the video.
The song is a play on the “Cups” song that went viral on the Internet in 2009.
https://youtu.be/DWCOYJg9ps4
Actress Anna Kendrick again made the song popular when she sang it in the movie “Pitch Perfect.”
https://youtu.be/cmSbXsFE3l8
Catchy campaign ditties aren’t new.
When the late Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-Ohio, was left off the ballot in 2006 after he failed to collect the necessary signatures, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee commissioned this catchy tune to get voters to write his name on the ballot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OzysDagrYA
Of course, Wilson’s tune was backed by big buys on the Ohio television and radio airwaves, so voters got the write-in campaign drilled into their brains.
It’s unclear if Beyer’s campaign will do the same with this tune.
The primary in Virginia’s 8th District, which is likely to select the next member of Congress for the district, will take place June 10.
Other candidates in the race include: State Sen. Adam Ebbin, state Dels. Charniele Herring, Patrick Hope, Alfonso Lopez and Mark Sickles, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, radio talk show host Mark Levine, college professor Derek Hyra and activist Lavern Chatman.