This Is Either the Best or Worst Judicial Campaign Ad Ever

Holy moley, I hear Jim Foley is running for judge in the city of Oly!

When you consider what would make a qualified state judge, what comes to mind? Empathy, lots of in-court experience, evenhandedness, fairness?

Pssh. I think we all really want a judge who bench presses in a tank top with his name on it, builds boats at his house, and knows how to cook a stew. A colorful bowtie and rapping hype-girls are also important, of course.

That’s why Jim Foley, an attorney in Olympia, Washington, has created the wonkiest campaign ad we have seen in a while. Love it or hate it, watch the video and you will be singing, “Holy moley, I hear Jim Foley is running for judge in the city of Oly,” for the rest of the afternoon.

Let’s take a look at the clip….

Weirdly, there is barely information about Mr. Foley anywhere on the internet. From what we’ve gathered, it appears this is not the first time he has run for judicial office. This time, he is running for a spot on the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II. Here his is ridiculous campaign rap video:

Sponsored

It took me two viewings before I realized that “Oly” actually refers to the city of Olympia. (To our readers in the Northwest, do people actually call it that?)

For those who are at work and can’t watch a video, the long and short of this is that Jim Foley goes about his normal day-to-day routine — bench pressing, building boats in his garage, and cooking various delectable meals for some children (who are presumably part of his family) — while anonymous, disembodied female voices rap about his virtues and his legal mind.

I’m not sure if the video adorable, or if it is creepy, like a scene from Twin Peaks. The vocalists’ flow is meh (and hard to understand in parts), but we have seen worse from legal emcees. The strangest thing is almost certainly Foley’s bowtie, which makes several appearances — not only around his neck, but floating and spinning through computer-animated space.

There are a couple strange editing decisions, including an awkward shot of Foley walking up his front steps with a bag of groceries and 15 seconds of silence after the music ends, where he is sitting at his kitchen table eating what appears to be a breadstick.

For a more straightforward campaign ad (still involving the bowtie), Foley has another video on YouTube (this video is quieter and totally safe for work):

Sponsored

Who is this guy??? I’ve never heard anyone with a voice like his. Is that really how he talks? Did he time travel here from the Industrial Revolution?

Foley’s steez is definitely a bit anachronistic, but he rocks it. To thine own self be true, as they say. Besides, Agent Cooper would love this guy. That’s good enough for me.