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Ahead of Democratic debate, Sanders debuting ad on the ‘rigged’ economy

The presidential campaign for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released this ad titled "Rigged Economy" in November 2015. (Video: Bernie Sanders)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)  is set to debut a new television ad Saturday, the day of the second Democratic presidential debate, that emphasizes his core message that the economy is “rigged.”

The 30-second spot, which will air in Iowa and New Hampshire, follows a 10-day run of a largely biographical commercial that Sanders used to launch his TV advertising campaign. The Democratic front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has been on the air in the first two nominating states since August.

Sanders’s new spot features images of him speaking at large rallies and captures him saying, “People are sick and tired of establishment politics, and they want real change.”

[Iowa may now be everything for Bernie Sanders]

The narrator tells viewers that Sanders is “taking on Wall Street and a corrupt political system that keeps in place a rigged economy.”

The new ad comes as Sanders prepares to take stage in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday night with Clinton and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley. Sanders is expected to continue trying to draw contrasts on issues where he sees a difference with Clinton, including measures to regulate Wall Street.

Iowa is a crucial state for Sanders as he tries to turn the nomination process into a real contest. He is strongest in New Hampshire, but many analysts believe he will need victories in both of the first two nominating states to generate enough momentum to be competitive with Clinton.

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