A rap campaign video by Linda Paulson, a Taylorsville Republican and self-described “incredible” candidate for the Utah Senate, has gone viral.
The video has been widely shared on social media by people who agree with her political views and others who criticize the video showing the grandmother of 49 grandchildren.
The rap video, posted on Paulson’s campaign Facebook page, highlights his affinity for family, the Constitution and the Second Amendment. The Republican candidate for Utah’s 12th Senate District says she is pro-life, pro-police and supports free speech.
“Government programs must lead to self-sufficiency and support the traditional family as the fundamental unit of society. But in the schools they are pushing for new beliefs. Just to clarify that she is a grown woman,” she raps herself, pointing to herself.
“I know what a woman is,” she says.
The video appeared Tuesday night on ‘The Late Show’ with Stephen Colbert, who said: “There’s a lot to unpack in there. First of all, hey Linda, as a grown woman, do you know what a rhyme is? Traditionally, that’s a pretty big part of the whole rap thing,” he said.
He noted that Paulson has 49 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, “and none of them know GarageBand?” GarageBand is a music studio app for Mac.
Colbert responded with his own rhymeless rap: “Hey, Linda Paulson, listen here. You got the hip-hoppen-est ad this year. I am Stephen Colbert. The Constitution is good, and just to clarify, as a comedian I want you to do more songs, please.”
Paulson responded to Colbert on Facebook: “Thank you Colbert for helping spread (part of) the campaign message. Wishing you all the best.”
The video was also featured on Fox News, which says the video received “mixed reviews”.
A National Review article called the video “a candidate for the weirdest election ad of the 2022 cycle.” National Review describes itself as “America’s premier destination for conservative analysis.”
On Facebook, some fans applauded the rap.
A comment posted on Facebook by one of Paulson’s followers, Sarah Danielle, read: “Your rapping is absolutely amazing and I love every detail! You are exactly what this world needs. Keep being yourself amazing and ignore the mob completely.”
What does Paulson think about his video going viral?
Paulson said he’s trying to keep a sense of humor. Her daughter, who wrote the rap, was put off by negative messages posted online about her mother, she said.
Paulson said she chooses to take it slow and is excited that out-of-state family members now know that she is running for elected office.
She said she tried to encourage someone who would bring more conservative values to the Utah Legislature to run for the District 12 seat. On the last day to file, no one had shown up.
“I told my husband it’s an hour away and I’m going to go see if anyone else has signed up. If they haven’t, I will. He just he was like, ‘Okay, okay, that’s great,’” she said.
Now the whole family is committed to their campaign. Win or lose, it’s been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, said Paulson, 80.
“I love family gatherings, and this is true in many ways. It’s just a unique experience that we never expected,” she said.
His Democratic challenger, Sen. Karen Mayne, a West Valley City Democrat, did not respond to requests for comment.
Mayne was appointed to the Utah Legislature in 2007, following the death of her husband Ed Mayne, a longtime union leader. Karen Mayne, now a Senate minority whip, won election in 2008 and has served in the Utah Senate for 15 years.
Mayne’s campaign website calls it “your voice of reason.”
Source: www.deseret.com