Kimberly Klacik, the Republican congressional hopeful from Baltimore, told the “Todd Starnes Show” on Tuesday that she is the candidate to finally provide the city what it needs to reduce poverty, crime and get the economy rolling.
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Klacik exploded on the scene after posting a simple yet effective ad that showcased a city that seemed to be left behind from the American Dream. She’s dressed in a sleek, bright red dress that is a compelling contrast to the dilapidated building in the background.
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The title of the ad is, “Kim Klacik Walks Real Baltimore.”
“Baltimore has been run by the Democrat Party for 53 years,” she said in the video. “What is the result of their decades of leadership?”
Her message was as simple as the ad itself: Democrats ran this city into the ground for decades, isn’t it time for a change?
Todd Starnes, the host of the program, called the digital ad that it is the most effective he has seen.
Klacik, who lives in Baltimore, is running as a Republican for the seat that was vacated by Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died in October after longstanding health issues.
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“I said, ‘You know what, if I’m going to walk the walk and talk the talk, I’m going to have to get out there and actually get my hands dirty and maybe try to bring some change and some positive impact to the area,’” she said.
She knows the city. She said she has been operating a non-profit for the past eight years that aims to help women secure jobs. The organization has had success stories but one of the challenges in the area is that there are simply no career opportunities, she said.
She said the issue demanded more attention than it has received in the past because residents in the area may graduate college or high school and there is no place to work. She said correcting that issue could solve a lot of the city’s problems.
Klacik pointed out some fundamental issues in the district. She said topics as simple as sanitation can have a major impact on cities, and pointed to how the city used to only respond to only five percent of garbage pickup calls in that area, compared to 100 percent of the calls to other middle-class neighborhoods. She also said there has been no accountability for the billions in federal funding the city receives.
“Someone, in office, is obviously leveraging the urban struggles to get these funds and then it’s just disappearing,” she said. “So at some point in time, somebody has to get into that seat and find out where that money’s going.”