In new TV ad, Bernie Sanders urges California to send ‘a message’

With Californians already voting by mail ahead of the state’s June 7 primary, Bernie Sanders will air a TV ad in the state, asking voters to send Washington politicians “a message they can’t ignore,” his campaign said Tuesday.

The campaign put the initial advertising buy at $1.5 million. California is so large that statewide candidates can spend far more than that amount on TV, but the sum would represent a significant portion of Sanders’ remaining funds.

Despite out-raising Clinton in April, the Vermont senator spent heavily, entering May with less than $6 million on hand.

Clinton has not aired TV ads in the state.

In the 30-second ad, Sanders asks, “What choice do Californians have in this election? The biggest one of all. You have the power to choose a new direction for the Democratic Party, to break the back of a corrupt system of campaign finance that keeps a rigged economy in place.”

Sanders, while insisting he still can win the nomination, is also moving to carry a more progressive message to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July.

“California, it’s a long way to Washington,” he says in the ad. “But you can send them a message they can’t ignore.”

Sanders said two weeks ago that he was not sure if he would run TV ads in the state, citing their expense.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 12:54 PM.