海角大神

More money than ever is sloshing around political campaigns, which means more ads and more competition for attention. So how does a lesser-known candidate break through? With humor.

Take J.D. Winteregg, one of three Republicans challenging House Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio for his House seat. Mr. Winteregg鈥檚 campaign is the longest of long shots, but the tea partyer has put his name on the map with a video ad that has gone viral.

Called 鈥淲hen the Moment is Right,鈥� it spoofs the ad for the virility drug Cialis 鈥� you know, the one where the couple winds up in separate bath tubs (which we鈥檝e never quite understood). Winteregg鈥檚 humor is a tad suggestive for a family-friendly website, but we鈥檒l go there, gently: It revolves around 鈥渆lectile dysfunction鈥� and several other PG-13 topics.

Electile dysfunction 鈥渃ould be a question of blood flow,鈥� the narrator says. 鈥淪ometimes when a politician has been in D.C. too long, it goes to his head and he just can鈥檛 seem to get the job done.鈥�

There are more jabs at the speaker for his famous tan, his affinity for cigarettes, and his love of golf, which he has played with President Obama on at least one occasion.

The Winteregg video, posted on YouTube Sunday night, is closing in on 100,000 views and has gotten play on cable news. That qualifies it as a viral hit 鈥� no mean feat for a 30-something French teacher. 聽

The record for most-viewed ad this cycle may belong to Joni Ernst, one of five Republicans running for their party鈥檚 nomination for the open Senate seat in Iowa.

The state senator鈥檚 opening line is a grabber: 鈥淚鈥檓 Joni Ernst. I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o when I get to Washington I鈥檒l know how to cut pork.鈥�

She ends with, 鈥淲ashington鈥檚 full of big spenders. Let鈥檚 make 鈥檈m squeal.鈥�

The footage of adorable pigs is also grabby. Late night comedians ate up the 30-second spot, which has more than 500,000 hits on YouTube. And unlike Winteregg, Ms. Ernst actually has a shot at winning the June 3 primary, which means there should be an encore. 聽

"Of course, our goal was for people to watch long enough to learn about Joni Ernst," Lori Raad, the consultant behind the ad, told NPR. "I wouldn't have guessed that people would've linked to it to this extent, although you always hope."

Some old themes have come back this cycle, such as the candidate showing off his firearms prowess by shooting a piece of legislation. In 2010, Democratic Senate candidate Joe Manchin of West Virginia literally took aim at his own party鈥檚 environmental legislation, known as 鈥渃ap and trade.鈥�

Democrats weren鈥檛 too happy with the ad, but Mr. Manchin won the race. They were happy about that.

This cycle, it鈥檚 a GOP House candidate in Alabama, Will Brooke, wielding various firearms in a show of Second Amendment support as he shoots a rather hefty printout of the Obamacare law.

But let鈥檚 get back to funny. Georgia鈥檚 lively GOP Senate primary has given us two good ones. The first is just 15 seconds, and it鈥檚 for Rep. Paul Broun, a tea partyer. 聽

It begins with just words on the screen 鈥� 鈥淪hould House Republicans surrender on amnesty for illegals or raising the debt ceiling?鈥� 鈥� and the sound of footsteps.

In walks Congressman Broun, who stops, turns to the camera, and shouts, 鈥淣o!鈥�

OK, it鈥檚 not laugh out loud material, but it makes its point. And it鈥檚 short.

The leader in the Senate primary, businessman David Perdue, produced the more memorable image, a five-minute ad that introduced him to Georgia voters.

Part-way through, at 2:46, comes the money shot: a bunch of crying babies sitting on the floor, each in a white onesie with his or her name on it 鈥� the names of all his opponents in the Republican primary. It鈥檚 hard to beat babies for grabbing attention. Unless you鈥檝e got squealing pigs and a female politician talking castration.

In February, the Atlantic online declared that the Georgia Senate race had the best ads of 2014 鈥� so far. Now it's April, and the competition is heating up. What next, more demon sheep?