Updated 10:26 a.m. | Pennsylvania state Sen. Daylin Leach and state Rep. Brendan Boyle, two of the four Democrats vying for a Philadelphia-area House seat, launched the first TV ads of the race on Tuesday — one month out from the hotly contested primary .  

Both ads highlight the candidates’ working-class upbringings, which they say is their motivation for public service.  

Leach’s ad features his childhood in the state’s foster care system, while Boyle references his father’s career as a janitor for Philadelphia’s commuter rail system.  

“I approve this message because I needed help once, and I’ll fight for those who need help now,” Leach says in the 30-second spot.  

https://youtu.be/yEgfSDDVjAw  

“We’re not millionaires like every one of my opponents,” Boyle says in his 30-second bio spot. The ad is backed by a $100,000 buy on cable over the next two weeks, according to Boyle’s campaign.  

https://youtu.be/aBSHUeJOx9I  

Leach’s campaign says his ad is backed by a significant buy on cable, broadcast and Internet pre-roll, but it declined to give specific figures. Television airtime does not come cheap in the 13th District, which includes parts of northeast Philly and suburban Montgomery County.  

A Democratic source tracking media buys in the district could not confirm Leach’s buy for this specific ad but said his campaign had reserved $272,000 in cable and broadcast in the two-week run-up to the primary. As of March 31, Leach reported $654,000 in cash on hand.  

Leach, Boyle, University of Pennsylvania physician Val Arkoosh and former Rep. Marjorie Margolies, D-Pa., will face off in the May 20 primary.  

Arkoosh has purchased $400,000 in broadcast airtime for the last week of the contest, according to her campaign.  

This solidly Democratic seat became open this cycle because of Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz’s gubernatorial bid.  

Pennsylvania’s 13th District is rated a Safe Democratic contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.