NEW AD: Tom Steyer Shows Up on California’s Doorstep to Deliver Holiday Message Inspired by ‘Love Actually’
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - Acknowledging that absolutely no one wants to hear political messages from candidates around the holidays, Tom Steyer’s campaign for governor began airing a new television ad today that delivers some light and cheerful seasonal greetings to the voters of California in a parody of the popular holiday movie Love Actually. The ad, ‘Affordability Actually,’ will air across California starting Friday night, airing for the first time during Taylor Swift’s special on ABC.
In the ad, Steyer parodies the iconic cue card scene between Andrew Lincoln and Kiera Knightly, holding up a sign that says, “California, to me you are perfect,” before unveiling a series of other cards that concede that well, actually, California has a lot of problems, but “Let’s talk about that next year.”
Steyer has made affordability the key theme of his campaign, promising to dramatically expand housing and to lower energy prices by ending California’s utility monopolies.
The ad was produced by the Fight agency, which has also worked for Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani. Fight also produced a spoof ad as part of Tom Steyer’s campaign to support Prop 50, directed by a Saturday Night Live alum. Steyer is committed to using novel approaches to break through the noise and reach voters, an issue with which establishment Democrats have long struggled.
“AFFORDABILITY ACTUALLY” TRANSCRIPT
CALIFORNIA MAN: Hello?
TOM: Shhh
Tom holds up a series of cards, the first reads:
CARD: SAY IT’S CAROL SINGERS
PERSON INSIDE THE HOUSE: Who is it?
CALIFORNIA MAN: It’s Carol Singers…
CARD: I’M TOM STEYER
CARD: I’M RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA
CARD: BUT FOR NOW LET ME SAY,
CARD: JUST BECAUSE IT’S CHRISTMAS –
CARD: (AND AT CHRISTMAS YOU DO ‘LOVE ACTUALLY’ PARODIES)
CARD: TO ME, CALIFORNIA, YOU ARE PERFECT*
CARD: WELL ACTUALLY
CARD: PEOPLE CAN’T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE
CARD: IT’S WAY TOO EXPENSIVE
CARD: UTILITY RATES ARE TOO HIGH
CARD: CORPORATE PAC MONEY IS OUT OF CONTROL
CARD: WE’RE WAY BEHIND IN EDUCATION
CARD: AND I’M RUNNING TO FIX THAT
CARD: BUT LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT NEXT YEAR
CARD: FOR NOW… MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS