Louisiana congressional candidate gives birth in campaign ad

Heads turned when U.S. Senate candidate Gary Chambers of Baton Rouge smoked a marijuana joint in a campaign ad earlier this year. The novelty led to the YouTube video going viral.

Now, another long-shot Democratic candidate from Louisiana has done something Chambers could never do: give birth.

In a spot posted online Monday, a clearly pregnant Katie Darling is shown at her family farm in Covington. She is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Steve Scalise in the state’s 1st Congressional District, a heavy favorite to retain his seat.

Darling’s commercial takes viewers along for a ride to the hospital with her husband, John, behind the wheel and daughter Remy in the back seat. Next, inside a maternity ward room, Darling is shown with her legs in stirrups, gripping the side of the bed and breathing deeply. The ad ends with Darling and her newborn son, Ollie.

“Louisiana deserves better than the path we’re on,” Darling narrates over the commercial. “I’m Katie Darling and I’m running for Congress because I want that better path – for you,” showing footage her husband in the delivery room, “her,” showing Remy next, “and him,” she finishes, holding Ollie and speaking directly into the camera.

Louisiana ranks 50th in crime, 48th in education, and 46th in health care. I’m running for Congress to stop this race to the bottom because our children deserve better. pic.twitter.com/OfFQHuPTzU

— Katie Darling for Louisiana (@katie4louisiana) October 3, 2022

Darling mentions Louisiana’s new abortion law in her ad, calling it “one of the strictest and most severe in the country.”

“We should be putting pregnant women at ease, not at risk,” she continues.

The video garnered more than 400,000 views and nearly 3,000 retweets as of Monday evening.