Emphasizing consensus amid divisive national politics, Kevin Faulconer chose Spanish for the language of the first television ad for his re-election as mayor of San Diego.
The 30-second ad began airing Wednesday on the Spanish-language Univision and Telemundo networks.
In the ad, Mayor Faulconer meets with families, students and small business owners from across the city.
“We come from different countries, different cultures and we don’t all speak the same language,” Faulconer says in the ad. “But we all share the same aspirations. Every one of us deserves the opportunity to succeed.”
The Faulconer campaign released a second, similar TV ad in English on Thursday.
Though the mayoral election is non-partisan, Faulconer is a Republican. His re-election campaign comes as likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has criticized Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists and vowed to deport 11 million people.
“We’re doing it in a tone that it says it’s not about Republican or Democrat, it’s what’s the right thing that we should be doing for San Diego,” Faulconer says in the English version of the ad. “Too often people are always looking to pit issues and people against each other. There’s a better way to do it. You make great things happen by bringing people together. I’m going to continue that.”
Faulconer faces Democrat Ed Harris, a union leader and interim City Council member, and independent Lori Saldaña, a former State Assembly member, in the June 7 non-partisan primary.