Opponent dresses as Michele Fiore in parody attack ad
Nevada treasurer candidate and businessman Manny Kess dressed up as his primary opponent, Las Vegas Councilwoman Michele Fiore, in an attack ad parodying an ad she ran during her brief campaign for governor.
Kess’ new attack ad features himself dressed in a blonde wig, sloppily brandishing a handgun as he highlights Fiore’s numerous scandals.
At the launch of her campaign for governor, which she ended to run for treasurer instead, Fiore dropped a viral ad which featured her driving a pickup truck through the Nevada desert and shooting beer bottles labeled “vaccine mandates,” “CRT,” and “voter fraud.”
🚨 WATCH TO THE END! 🚨
This parody video is obviously a joke, but the election we are actually facing is no laughing matter.
Career politicians like Michelle Fiore have served themselves long enough. It’s time for change.
➡️ https://t.co/E1fK7yHFYx pic.twitter.com/0F8SUiZpa8
— Manny Kess (@MannyKess) June 6, 2022
Kess’ parody calls Fiore self-interested and “in the business of politics.” It also highlights her extensive travel as a member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the fact that she’s the focus of an FBI investigation and notes racist comments she made at a Republican Party event in 2020, all citing Review-Journal stories.
Kess was inspired to make the ad after he believes Fiore changed her mannerisms after she switched from the governor to the treasurer race.
“When she was running for governor she was all breasts out, guns blazing, but when she switched to treasurer she became a grandma, dressed up well and in ads with her grandkids,” Kess said. “Everyone can see through that and to who she really is.”
He said Fiore is “the worst example of politics in this country,” a “horrible human being,” and “thinks she’s God’s gift to the state.” Kess said Fiore has lied about him while on campaign stops throughout the state.
“We both have an ‘R’ next to our names, but we could not be more different,” He said. “She will never get my vote.”
A campaign email from Fiore called the ad “hilarious,” but didn’t address the scandals.
“But here’s the thing, this is a serious race. I’m running for State Treasurer because I’ve been a businesswoman all my life and our state deserves conservative financial leadership that will fight back against the socialist schemes in Washington,” Fiore wrote in the email. “I’m proud that my campaign has not released a single attack ad and won’t be now, because Republicans shouldn’t win by attacking each other,” the email said.
A Fiore campaign spokesman declined to attack Kess, instead referring to a tweet by Attorney General candidate Sigal Chattah going after him.
It’s deeply concerning that someone with @Mannyskess’ history of remarks about violence towards women thinks it’s a good idea to crossdress mocking the RNC National Committeewoman in his desperate plea for political relevance. pic.twitter.com/HrEUOohdDD
— Sigal Chattah (@Chattah4Nevada) June 6, 2022
Contact Nick Robertson at NRobertson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @NickRobertsonSU.