ATL Mayoral candidates on the air ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Polls indicate Atlanta voters are just starting to pay attention to the Mayor's race.

One candidate hopes to light the fire by being the first to hit television with a campaign ad.

City Council President Lisa Borders has bought time on at least six cable channels.

As WABE's Charles Edwards reports, candidates hope a little bit of airtime goes a long way towards winning the election.

It's a weeknight and maybe you're getting your news fix on CNN or you're glued to the Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo. Whatever the show, if it's on cable, Lisa Borders hopes you see her in her commercial being embraced by citizens and cops.

BORDERS AD: "No one is more committed to protecting our families from crime than Lisa Borders."

The ad is Borders' way of asking you to trust her to fight crime in Atlanta. The subject matter was no accident says Borders' spokesperson Liz Flowers.

FLOWERS: "Public safety has been identified as the number one concerns of Atlantans across the board and across demographics. We wanted to make sure that folks understood that Lisa was focusing on crime as well."

However, Borders appears to be sending her public safety message to a particular audience.

STUCKEY: "When political consultants or campaign staff sit down and go, "well, what's interesting to women?" They always put us in the box of we care about protecting our families."

Mary Stuckey teaches communication and political science at Georgia State University. She says Lisa Borders' commercial is what experts call an introductory ad.

STUCKEY: "These introductory ads let people know what are the basic themes of the campaign and who are you generally."

Stuckey says Borders is introducing herself as the "cops" candidate. The ad also highlights a campaign endorsement.

BORDERS AD: "1100 members of the Atlanta Police Department have endorsed her saying no other candidate has the ability or experience to be mayor of Atlanta."

Borders is running against city councilor Mary Norwood, former State Senator Kasim Reed, businessman Jesse Spikes, officer Peter Brownlowe and anti-crime advocate Kyle Keyser. All six have focused on public safety. But Borders is the first to have a commercial on the subject. Again, Georgia State's Mary Stuckey.

STUCKEY: "So if she jumps out their first with the first TV ad and that first visual, probably the campaign is hoping it will be much more difficult for other people to claim that territory if she's gotten their first."

Introducing yourself to voters and identifying with a theme is key. Especially since last week's Insider Advantage poll shows as many as 23 percent of likely voters don't know who should be Mayor. The poll also shows city councilor Mary Norwood on top. Borders is six percentage points behind in 2nd place.
However, Kasim Reed hopes a big name will help him catch up.

YOUNG: "I know what it takes to be mayor of a great city. This is your former Mayor Andrew Young."

In a radio ad, which aired before Borders hit TV, Andrew Young tells listeners he was impressed by Reed's organizational skills in college.

YOUNG: "I took the liberty then of saying I hope you finish your education and come on back to Atlanta where you grew up because in about 20 years, we're going to need a Mayor like you."

Georgia State's Mary Stuckey says this ad is powerful. Reed has experience representing parts of Atlanta and running Mayor Shirley Franklin's campaigns. But Stuckey says all of Atlanta's voters may not know Reed's story.

STUCKEY: "One of the problems for relatively young, untried candidates is proving that they have something that looks like competence for the job that they seek and Andrew Young's ad helped a lot I think with that particular question."

Reed, an African-American, bought ad time on top Atlanta urban radio stations. Stuckey says he's targeting black voters first just like Borders, who's also black, is targeting women voters first.

STUCKEY: "So, you get these moments where you try to put forth you're first image and then again you'll try to branch out from that."

So far, Borders is the only candidate with a TV ad. But it's on cable and not on the local network affiliates.

Those ads are more expensive and fundraising is harder than ever.

In the meantime, frontrunner Mary Norwood's spokesperson did not disclose their media strategy. The other candidates did not respond by air time.

Charles Edwards, WABE News.

To watch Lisa Borders' commercial, click here.

To listen to Kasim Reed's commercial, click here.
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