We thought this was pretty good stuff last year when Ralph Abraham put it out in the middle of his gubernatorial campaign…

But now the ad is back, from a guy who’s running for the job Abraham currently holds. Lance Harris, candidate for the 5th District congressional race, essentially covers that tune…

It should be recognized that Abraham didn’t win last year. Not that his ad, in which he spouted a host of things which ought to be pretty uncontroversial but seemingly are in this day and age, hurt him – the ad helped. It was better messaging than anything Eddie Rispone, who was able to bury Abraham in the primary under a mountain of spending and went negative late in the gubernatorial campaign in a “broken arrow” attack which ultimately lost the race for the Louisiana GOP, put out.

Save for one Rispone ad which wasn’t even political.

But does Lance Harris doing the same thing as Abraham did – Harris has the same consultant Abraham had last year; Lionel Rainey, out of Baton Rouge – produce better results?

It probably depends on whether Harris has something else to put on the airwaves to go with this. By itself, you’d have to say no.

The thing about the Abraham ad is that when he’s popping off about there being only two genders, he doesn’t come off as mean or nasty. More of a plaint-spoken, wise old man who’s seen a thing or two.

So when people called Abraham a right-wing nut for saying a bunch of things most people in Louisiana believe pretty much go without saying, it made him look better.

Does Harris pull that off?

Decide that for yourself.

The Abraham ad worked because it had some novelty to it. This doesn’t. People saw the same ad last year. If Ralph Abraham was currently the governor, it would make more sense – you’re trading in the novelty aspect of the ad in return for running something the voters all understand is a new standard; namely, that they just elected a candidate unafraid to state his position on a whole host of topics, and so here’s another guy willing to do the same.

But Abraham came in third place. Recycling third place ads within a year? Even good ones?

Well, OK.