Dan Helmer is a Democratic candidate for a House seat in Virginia, and his latest campaign ad is so normal — until it isn't.
The clip starts off as these things usually do: Helmer wants you to know he's smart and principled, not like those other politicians, and he highlights a few key planks from his platform. Then things take a turn. "After 9/11, the greatest threat to our democracy lived in a cave," Helmer says in a voiceover while a picture of Osama bin Laden appears. Then, cutting to a picture of President Trump, Helmer adds, "Today, he lives in the White House."
For Virginia Democrats who would prefer a candidate who does not compare the president to the mastermind of 9/11, Helmer is one of several candidates still competing in their party's primary, which goes to a vote June 12. Watch the spot below. Bonnie Kristian