Republican running for Elijah Cummings’s seat goes viral with Black Lives Matter ad

An ad for a Republican running for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings’s (D-Md.) congressional seat went viral, with the candidate pushing a message that “All Black Lives Matter.” 

The GOP candidate, Kimberly Klacik, who is Black, argues in the digital ad that Democrats have failed the people of Baltimore after more than 50 years as she is seen walking through part of the city. 

“Baltimore has been run by the Democrat Party for 53 years. What is the result of their decades of leadership?” Klacik asks in the ad. 

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

Answering the question she posed, Klacick says the city is in the “top five most dangerous cities in America,” has “skyrocketing” homicide, drug and alcohol deaths, and a poverty rate more than 20 percent. 

“Do you believe Black lives matter? I do,” she states, repeating the call from progressive demonstrators. 

Klacik’s ad has been viewed on Twitter more than 3 million times as of Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after it was posted on her account. 

“Thank you all so much. I can’t believe the amount of love & support for our campaign ad,” Klacik tweeted Tuesday evening, adding a call for volunteers to sign up for her campaign. 

Thank you all so much. I can’t believe the amount of love & support for our campaign ad. My team & I canvass 3 days a week. If you would like to volunteer please sign up, https://t.co/sDJbWLtWbr.

We need all hands on deck.
Lives depend on our win.
Flipping Red

— Kimberly Klacik (@kimKBaltimore) August 18, 2020

“We need all hands on deck. Lives depend on our win. Flipping Red,” she said.

Klacik will face Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D) in the general election in the 7th Congressional District, a seat that has never been held by a Republican. Mfume won the Democratic primary in June, defeating 18 Democrats running against him. He had previously represented the 7th District from 1987 to 1996 and was succeeded by Cummings.

Mfume, the former CEO of the NAACP, won a special election in April to fill the remainder of Cummings’s term. Cummings died in October at 68 from complications from long-standing health issues. 

An official with the Mfume campaign was not immediately available for comment.