[TIME] Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) is running in one of the tightest reelection races in the country, facing freshman Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a U.S. Army veteran. So it may come as some surprise that in Pryor's new ad released Wednesday, he chose to hone in on his support of President Barack ObamaThey get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them...
's unpopular healthcare law.
In the personal new ad, Pryor's father, David, a former senator himself, talks about his son's battle with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in 1996. "When Mark was diagnosed with cancer, we thought we might lose him," David Pryor says in a voiceover. "But you know what? Mark's insurance company didn't want to pay for the treatment that ultimately saved his life."
By opening up about the struggle for his own life, Pryor aims to connect with his constituents. "No one should be fighting an insurance company when you're fighting for your life," he says in the ad. "That's why I helped pass a law that prevents insurance companies from canceling your policy if you're sick or deny coverage from preexisting conditions."