GOP Wanted 'Hicky' Actors for West Virginia Commercial

Well this is awkward. A Republican ad for the West Virginia Senate race backfired today, after its less-than-flattering casting call leaked. “We are going for a ‘Hicky’ Blue Collar look,” read the casting notice, which Democrats sent to Politico. “These characters are from West Virginia, so think coal miner/trucker looks.” The script went on to list “clothing suggestions” including “Dickie’s type jacket with t-shirt underneath” and “ John Deer [sic] hats (not brand new, preferably beat up).”

The video, in which these “hicky” types complain that Joe Manchin bows to Obama’s whims, has already been removed from YouTube. It was shot in Pennsylvania, at the behest of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, but the committee didn’t actually write the problematic casting notice—the talent agency it hired did. The NRSC says it’s not worried about the incident. “West Virginians understand that most commercials are produced by outside professionals with actors in studios,” its communication director said. (More National Republican Senatorial Committee stories.)