Demon Sheep

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The Demon Sheep was a political ad from Carly Fiorina’s 2010 campaign for the U.S. Senate in California. It targeted Fiorina’s primary opponent, Tom Campbell, by portraying him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The ad shows a man in a sheep costume with glowing red eyes and uses a voiceover to question Campbell’s record as a fiscal conservative, especially his budgeting and tax voting while California’s Finance Director.

The spot was created by advertising executive Fred Davis, who had previously drawn attention for a controversial 2008 ad about Barack Obama. It was released on Fiorina’s campaign website in February 2010 and quickly drew global attention, even though it was never aired on television.

In the three-minute clip, a peaceful meadow scene gives way to a demon sheep crawling through a flock as the narrator accuses Campbell of being “Fiscal Conservative In Name Only” (FCINO). It links Campbell to higher taxes, including a gasoline tax, and to past budget problems. The ad contrasts Campbell with Fiorina, portraying her as a proven, fiscally conservative candidate.

Reception was mixed. Some people found the ad confusing or over-the-top, while others called it memorable or even brilliant. The ad did not help Campbell in the polls at first, but Fiorina still won the Republican primary by a large margin.

In the general election, Fiorina lost to incumbent Barbara Boxer by about ten percentage points. Davis later created another famous ad for Fiorina against Boxer, and also worked on other notable campaign spots, including a commercial for Christine O’Donnell in Delaware. The Demon Sheep remains one of the era’s most talked-about political ads.