Republican Fred Keller rolls out new ads in PA-12 special election

With the May 21 special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District a little more than a month away, Republican Fred Keller has rolled out his first commercials of the spring campaign.

The first 30-second spot is a traditional bio ad, “Meet Fred Keller,” that punches up what the Snyder County Republican says were his hardscrabble roots. The ads were first reported by PoliticsPA. 

“Things weren’t always easy growing up,” Keller, a state House member, says, looking directly into the camera. “We lived in a house with no running water or electricity. But in those tough times, I learned the values of working hard and telling the truth. I went straight from high school to work in a factory.”

The second spot, “American Dream,” is more explicitly political, emphasizing Keller’s conservative bonafides and his support for President Donald Trump.

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“As a conservative Republican in Harrisburg, I fought tax increases,” Keller says in the ad. “In Congress, I’ll fight the liberal Democrats and their socialist Green New Deal. And I’m going to help President Trump create more jobs and expand opportunities for all of us.”

Keller faces Democrat Marc Friedenberg in the race for the seat formerly held by U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, who resigned earlier this year, shortly after his re-election to a fifth term on Capitol Hill, citing health issues.

Friedenberg, a professor at Penn State University, unsuccessfully challenged Marino last fall in the overwhelmingly Republican seat.