A campaign video from Republican congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik went viral Monday, pushing the message “All Black Lives Matter” and that Democrats have failed to stand up for those lives in her Baltimore district.
“Do you care about black lives?” Klacik asked viewers before walking through the streets of Baltimore, pointing out the many challenges facing the city after decades of Democratic leadership. “The people that run Baltimore don’t. I can prove it. Walk with me. They don’t want you to see this.”
Democrats don’t want you to see this.
They’re scared that I’m exposing what life is like in Democrat run cities.
That’s why I’m running for Congress
Because All Black Lives Matter
Baltimore Matters
And black people don’t have to vote Democrat
Help us win https://t.co/CSOjc9aQlS pic.twitter.com/XnEDTaDDIG— Kimberly Klacik (@kimKBaltimore) August 17, 2020
As of Tuesday morning, the video had racked up almost 3.5 million views since being posted on Klacik’s Twitter account Monday afternoon.
“This is the reality for black people every single day: crumbling infrastructure, abandoned homes, poverty, and crime,” Klacik said as she walked by dilapidated buildings and abandoned city blocks. “Baltimore has been run by the Democrat Party for 53 years. What is the result of their decades of leadership?”
Baltimore is in the “top 5 most dangerous cities in America,” Klacik said in the video, adding that homicide, drug, and alcohol-related deaths are “skyrocketing” and the poverty rate remains over 20%.
Klacik’s ad also shows interviews with local black residents, who emphatically state that they don’t support the recent push from Black Lives Matter activists to defund police departments.
“What are you going to defund the police for?” one man said. “Why? How are you going to defend your city? Your community?”
Klacik is running to represent Maryland’s 7th Congressional District, which is a seat that was held by the late Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings for decades. She received praise for her campaign ad from many prominent conservative figures.
“Wow, great job @kimKBaltimore!” political commentator Tammy Bruce tweeted.
??? Wow, great job @kimKBaltimore!
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) August 17, 2020
“What a perfect and important ad … keep doing amazing things,” tweeted Super Bowl champion Burgess Owens, who is running for Congress in Utah.
What a perfect and important ad… keep doing amazing things
— Burgess Owens (@BurgessOwens) August 18, 2020
“@kimKBaltimore is an exceptional candidate!” former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani tweeted.
. @kimKBaltimore is an exceptional candidate! https://t.co/XTDEOdta4s
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) August 18, 2020
The ad was also retweeted by Donald Trump Jr.
Klacik, a self-described “pro-Trump” and “anti-Squad” candidate, told the Washington Examiner that she hopes the positive response to the ad helps people “understand the truth” about many of America’s cities.
“I hope people understand the truth about so many inner cities and vote Republican,” she said. “It’s time for a better quality of life for all.”
Klacik won the GOP primary in June and is set to face off against incumbent Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a Democrat, with hopes of becoming the first woman as well as the first Republican to represent the Baltimore district.
