Today, the Scott Peters for Congress campaign unveiled its first television advertisement of the 2016 campaign titled, “Debt.” The ad features footage of San Diego college students and recent graduates with outstanding college debt to drive home the importance of one of Congressman Peters’ top priorities: making college more affordable and easing the burden of student loan debt on America’s working families.
In the ad, Congressman Peters tells viewers that he, too, had to rely on student loans to pay for college and details how he is working to make college more affordable for all students who qualify.
Click HERE or above to view “Debt.”
“I have eight-thousand,”…“I have ten-thousand dollars,”…“I have twenty-thousand,”…“I have sixty-thousand dollars in student loan debt,” the four San Diego students and graduates say in succession to open the ad as the numbers appear next to them.
The ad continues, “I’m Scott Peters. This is personal to me. My dad was a minister. My mom, a secretary. Like most, I needed loans to afford college,” Congressman Peters says after a picture of his parents and Dr. Martin Luther King Sr. is shown. Peters’ father was a Lutheran Minister who fought to desegregate housing in 1960’s Detroit and preached at Dr. King’s church – activism that inspired Congressman Peters into public service. Peters was able to afford college with a combination of student loans and work-study programs, and is working to make a high-quality education more accessible for the middle-class again.
“That’s why I’m working on incentives for companies to help workers pay down student debt. And helped pass a law to lower interest rates on student loans,” Peters continues, referencing his Student Loan Repayment Assistance Act, which would create an above-the-line federal tax deduction for employers that enter into student loan repayment programs with their employees.
“I’m Scott Peters, and I approve this message because college must be more affordable – for everyone,” Peters says, concluding the ad.
“As the oldest son of a middle-class family, making college more affordable is truly personal to Scott Peters,” said Maryanne Pintar, Campaign Manager for Scott Peters for Congress. “This positive message, including real students and graduates from San Diego, shows Scott’s strong record of fighting to expand educational opportunity and his plan to reduce the burden of student loans on young graduates and their families.
Peters’ opponent in the 52nd Congressional District, which is home to half a dozen universities and community colleges, has completely ignored the very serious issue of college affordability. It is not listed on her campaign website as a priority, nor has she announced any plans to pursue it.
Peters’ ‘Debt’ ad will begin airing on broadcast and cable in the San Diego area today and is the first to go up on air in the race for the 52nd district.