I Agree to See

The Web's Largest Political Ad Library

I Agree to See

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

I agree to follow
  • Watch
    • Latest Political Ads Happening Now
    • Hilarious Political Late Night Clips
    • WWI and WWII Propaganda
    • Ads From the Past
    • Speeches
  • Latest Elections
    • 2018 Elections
    • 2017 Elections
    • 2016 Presidential Election
    • 2016 Congressional Elections
    • Browse All
  • PSA’s
  • Blog
    • Blog: I Approve This Message
    • Political Blogroll
  • FAQ
    • The Campaign Brain
    • 2016 Presidential Election
    • Political Trivia
    • Campaign and Election Terms
  • Submit Your Ad
    • Candidate Connect
    • California Candidates
    • Build Your Profile
  • About Us
    • FAQ About Us
    • I Agree to See: Internship
  • Subscribe

Run Ed Run: When MC Hammer Elected San Francisco’s Mayor

Posted on
November 27, 2014
by Agree Staff
In January 2011, longtime San Francisco City bureaucrat, Ed Lee was appointed interim Mayor of San Francisco by the Board of Supervisors after the previous mayor, Gavin Newsom, was elected Lieutenant Governor. The appointment came after Lee publicly pledged not to run for a full term later in 2011. However, the summer after receiving the appointment, Mayor Lee changed his mind following a "Run Ed Run" petition campaign.

Lee had never run for office and was considered more technocratic than charismatic. In the 2011 San Francisco Mayor’s race, he faced a crowded field of 15 opponents in city's first "instant runoff" election system. Lee needed something to make him stand out.

Fortunately for Lee, he had a lot of supporters in San Francisco's booming social media industry, who know a few things about viral videos—and he had a friend in MC Hammer.

Mayor Ed Lee Backed By MC Hammer's Harem Pants

The music video/political ad, "Ed Lee is 2 LEGIT 2 QUIT," was the brainchild of Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway, who organized the area's social media mavens to "apply the tech world to this campaign" and find a way to reach voters turned off by negative political ads.

Conway's media consultants teamed up with local musician, Ashkon, who in the previous year, created a YouTube hit of an anthem celebrating the San Francisco Giants. And they got MC Hammer to contribute his 1991 hit song, his collection of harem pants and a cameo.

The ad begins with Ashkon playing video games with friends, talking about endorsing Lee. As they struggle to come up with a good slogan explaining why he shouldn't just be an interim mayor ("too smart to dart"), suddenly MC Hammer appears in the kitchen—“Hey, who ate up all my apple butter?" Hammer scolds. We are then transported into what appears to be an old MC Hammer video, as Ashkon raps on behalf of Lee.

A Smash Political Ad, Without The TV

The video is packed with local celebrities. Executives from Google, YouTube and Twitter offer their endorsement, dance and flash the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand signal. Former Mayor Willie Brown and football legend Ronnie Lott chime in, and then-Giants pitcher Brian Wilson, known for his own slogan, "Fear The Beard," sports a shirt with the slogan, "Fear The Mustache." Later, an animated Ed Lee mustache jumps off his face.

Most interestingly, the political ad was cheap to make, only $18,000. The media consultants also didn't waste money putting it on TV—the video racked up hundreds of thousands of YouTube views.

With one video, Ed Lee was transformed from a mild-mannered technocrat to a San Francisco personality. He won the 2011 mayoral in a landslide.
  • Previous
  • |
  • Next
I agree to follow

Trending

  • Kirsten Gillibrand Anti-Trump
    Kirsten Gillibrand Launches First Anti-Trump Ad of 2020 Campaign

    Desperate for a boost as she lags in the polls, presidential candidate...

    More
  • State Senate sarah mcbride video
    Transgender Activist Sarah McBride Announces Run for State Senate Focusing on Issues, Not Identity

    Transgender activist Sarah McBride, who rose to national prominence af...

    More
  • astronaut mark kelly arizona senate gabby giffords mark kelly us senate arizona
    Astronaut Mark Kelly Launches Bid for Arizona Senate, With Help from Gabby Giffords

    Mark Kelly entered the Arizona Senate race against incumbent Martha Mc...

    More
  • tulsi gabbard 2020 presidential campaign announcement tulsi gabbard official presidential campaign
    Tulsi Gabbard Brings “Love and Aloha” to the 2020 Presidential Campaign

    In the run-up to her 2020 presidential campaign entry, Hawaii Rep. Tul...

    More
  • kamala harris 2020 campaign announcement kamala harris for president
    Kamala Harris Makes It Official

    Sen. Kamala Harris entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary wi...

    More
  • larry hogan 2020 presidential campaign republican challengers to trump 2020 republican candidates
    Is This Inauguration Video from Larry Hogan a Step Towards Running Against Trump in the GOP Primary?

    Politico’s report that Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is c...

    More
  • kamala harris mood mix stephen colbert kamala harris 2020 presidential campaign
    Kamala Harris Offers Her “Mood Mix” to Stephen Colbert

    The “Colbert Primary” is off and running, as several Democ...

    More
  • cory booker 2020 presidential campaign announcement video nike cory booker 2020
    Cory Booker Starts 2020 Race With Gangbusters Video

    Sen. Cory Booker jumped into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary ...

    More
  • lizzie fletcher voted for nancy pelosi republicans attack democrats who voted for nancy pelosi
    Republicans Slam Democratic Frosh Who Voted For Nancy Pelosi

    The House GOP-affiliated Super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund waste...

    More
  • Who is happy that donald trump is president
    Liberal Group Asks: Who’s Happy That Trump is President?

    A little known liberal group called Future Forward USA Action is airin...

    More
  • barack obama eric holder redistricting barack obama redistricting barack obama gerrymandering eric holder gerrymandering barack obama is back
    Obama is Back … and Ready To Tackle Partisan Gerrymandering

    Former President Barack Obama is putting his considerable prestige beh...

    More
  • the koch brothers tax reform bill donald trump tax reform koch brothers how the koch brothers sell tax reform gop tax bill charles koch david koch paul ryan tax reform donald trump
    How the Koch Brothers Sell Tax Reform: A Guide

    It was a balmy August afternoon in 2015, when Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, ...

    More
  Speakeasy Digital Ads I agree to see

Recent posts

  • Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Makes Star Turn on “The Bachelorette”
  • Speedos: Which Maine Senate Nominee Wore Them Best?
  • The Top 10 Senate Races to Watch in 2018
  • The Top 10 House Races to Watch in 2018
  • Wikileaks Slid into Don Jr.’s DMs and Tried to Finesse Donald Trump’s Tax Returns

Comments Below

Recent Posts

  • Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Makes Star Turn on “The Bachelorette”
  • Speedos: Which Maine Senate Nominee Wore Them Best?
  • The Top 10 Senate Races to Watch in 2018
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Our Staff
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Terms
© 2018 I Agree to See is a project by Storefront Political Media
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on the Campaign Exchange
  • Our Staff