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A new political ad is breaking from the usual this election year, leaving many wondering, who is the woman behind the latest Morgan Philpot ad?
The ad tied Jim Matheson with Nancy Pelosi and calls Morgan Philpot a patriot. What's unusual about it is that it's paid for by a woman who identifies herself as "Alice." But who is Alice? And did she really pay for the ad without Philpot knowing it?
We investigated and confirmed that 79-year-old B. Alice Baker did pay for the ad herself. Morgan Philpot said so, and says he didn't know about it ahead of time. We also found out Alice is far from a political novice.
"Matheson voted with Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat leadership, now stripping that freedom away," the ad says.
Matheson's challenger, Republican Morgan Philpot says the ad is a call to action.
"I think that claim could be leveled at all of Congress right now," Philpot says.
As a political ad, its potential power comes from being personalized, rather than from a group or PAC, according to Kirk Jowers of the Hinckley Institute of Politics.
"If it's an individual, it comes across as sincere and heartfelt, then there's no one who's immediately turned off by the messenger," Jowers said.
We confirmed the ad is running on multiple radio stations in Utah, and Alice is paying top dollar to bump other ads to another time. On KSL Newsradio, FM 100 and Arrow 103.5, our sister stations, the buy totals $26,300 dollars so far--expensive for an individual.
We were curious: Who would personally pay for such an ad? We confirmed Alice Baker is better known as Barbara Baker, the head of Challenger schools. Signs at one of Challenger's schools and at its headquarters clearly show support for Philpot and other Republican candidates.
Campaign finance disclosure reports show Barbara Baker also contributes often to republican candidates nationwide, and that she has contributed the maximum to Philpot's campaign this year.
As an individual, she is within her rights to produce and pay to run the ad. Philpot says he appreciates it.
"I think she feels like most people feel right now; she's ticked off at Washington, D.C. And they want to make a difference. They want someone to represent them," Philpot said.
Rep. Matheson--speaking after a KSL Newsradio debate with Philpot--said he isn't worried about the ad or its impact.
"I think everyone has a right to voice an opinion. I think it's unfortunate that they don't mention a single issue, it's just the same old same old trying to tie me into the Democratic Party," he said.
The significance here is that an individual is paying to produce and run this ad. It's not unheard of, but it is unusual in Utah. It's also a sign, in this case, that Ms. Baker is serious about her candidate.
CLICK HERE to listen to Baker's ad.
Compiled with contributions from niyamba@ksl.com and rpiatt@ksl.com
