Senator's Ad Has 'Uncanny' Veep Resemblance

Either somebody on Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly's campaign is a big Veep fan, or it's a heck of a coincidence. The Democrat's new campaign ad, "Axe," bears a very strong resemblance to "Chopping," a campaign ad on the sitcom for fictional candidate Jonah Ryan, Mediate reports. Both ads feature a candidate outside chopping wood on stumps—and both have plenty of corny puns. "I split with my own party to support funding for Trump's border wall, the liberal left wants to chop defense spending," Donnelly says as the axe falls. "Vote for Jonah Ryan," the Veep ad's voice-over says. "He'll chop President Selina Meyer down to size."

The Indianapolis Star points out one big difference between the two ads: Donnelly, with safety goggles and boots on, looks like a man who has chopped wood before. Ryan's fictional bid for Congress was a successful one, while it remains to be seen whether Donnelly, currently ahead in the polls, will prevail in his tough re-election battle in Indiana, the Washington Post reports. His Republican rival, Mike Braun, tweeted an edit of the "Axe" ad called "The Whining," and pointed out that the axe Donnelly was using was made in Mexico. (This lawmaker laughed so hard at Veep he knocked himself out.)